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Stress Free Tips – 11 Ways to Get Away from a Stressful Experience

When a person goes through a stressful experience it is almost always followed by a physical symptom as well – after getting in an argument with a loved one it is almost natural to suffer through a headache or a mild fever.

This is because during the early days of man, the causes of stress were quite physical such as a lion or a bear, thus the response was also physical in nature.

Whether you’re a businessman or a student, here are 11 stress free tips to help you get away from these stressors and help get your life back in balance:

#11 – Kissing

Kissing has been proven to help produce endorphins. These chemicals fight stress and depression and they help people experience a sense of connection. Don’t just limit kissing to sex either – studies have proven that the happiest couples are those who spontaneously pucker up.

#10 – Stop Multitasking

Juggling too many tasks at once will only make you more stressful. Drop the hundred things you’re doing and commit only to the top five priorities. Give some leeway and have some fun with your free time.

#9 – Practice Gratitude

Grateful people have shown to be more optimistic and stress-free. Simply thinking of 10 things to be grateful for has proven time and time again with psychiatrists to be an effective way of moving your thoughts away from stress and more towards the things that make you smile and be happy.

#8 – Accept the Way People Are

Trying to change people actually adds a strong level of stress. By accepting people for who they are, despite their flaws and imperfections, helps your mind move on to the better things in life.

#7 – Stop Filling Your Hours with Scheduled Commitments

Having a calendar filled with busy schedules and appointments will soon take over your life. You’ll be stressed simply looking at all the things you have to do. Stop flooding your life and stop filling the calendar. You only get 24 hours a day to stop turning it into a computer-run program. Live life!

#6 – Have Fun

Try to focus on the things that make you happy. Read a good book, watch your favourite movie, listen to some good music or just have a good time with your friends. The more time you spend laughing the less likely you’ll be affected by stress triggers.

#5 – Turn the Phone Off

Your phone is a constant stress trigger. Each time it vibrates or rings people feel obligated to immediately respond. Turn it off and leave it at home so you can experience some time away from this “obligation.”

You’ve been a voluntary slave to your phone so free yourself and see the world without the use of a phone camera or tweet.

#4 – Get Off Your Butt

Procrastination is the mother of stress. The more you lazy about the less work you get done and you’ll end up really stressed when you try to get everything done at the last minute. Work early so you can have the rest of the day to have fun.

#3 – Organize Yourself

Believe it or not but disorganization has proven to be one of the most common stressors for people. Clean up your desk, organize your work files, and develop a system that keeps everything easy to find and easy to put away.

#2 – Stay Healthy

The healthier you are the less likely it is that stress factors will affect your health. Follow a diet you like, do Yoga, walk your dog, and grab a healthy meal. Sleep 8 hours a day and spend some time away from the unhealthy habits.

#1 – Identify Stressors

The most important tip is to identify what stresses you the most. You want to identify these stressors so you can work around them, eliminate them, and then live a life free of them.

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Fungi Mutarium: Turn Plastic into Edible Mushrooms

Plastic causes one of the most common problems in regards to waste disposal for the fact that it doesn’t decompose. This may soon become a thing of the past because a new invention, the Fungi Mutarium, allows fungi to quickly feed on plastic. Once it is done, the fungi can then be eaten.

In every sense of the word this turns plastic into edible mushrooms. The machine uses the plastic and creates an environment that helps the fungi thrive and grow. Here’s how it works:

First, the plastic is UV-treated to begin decomposition and to thoroughly sterilize the material. Afterwards, the plastic is placed in small agar pods. Agar is an algae-based gelatine that is also edible. Liquefied fungi are then poured into the pod where they will then begin to grow.

After several weeks the fungi will have taken over, completely devouring the plastic. Once the fungi are all that remains it can then be extracted and prepared for humans to eat. What remains is a soft vegetative portion of the fungus known as mycelium.

Mycelium can also be used in preparation of other dishes.

One of the best things about this is that the fungi used in current tests are two of the most popular mushrooms used in restaurants – split gill mushrooms and oyster mushrooms. In other words this means that the plastic-eating fungi are in fact quite delicious.

Does this mean they are 100% toxic-free? As of the moment scientists have observed that the fungi devour the plastic without digesting in the toxic compounds, making them safe to eat. However, the research team has stated that further observations would be necessary to make sure of this.

One of the only real setbacks is that it does take time for the apparatus to work. It takes a month or two for the fungi to completely eat up the kind of thin plastic material used in shopping bags. It would take years for the fungi to effectively devour hard plastic materials.

Currently the team is working on new ways to speed up the process and thus make the technology available for mass production. The main goal is to discover the right amount of humidity and temperature to create the perfect micro-climate that would hasten the process.

Another option, albeit more controversial, is to use genetic alteration to help alter the fungi and make them more adept in eating the plastic material.

The team behind Fungi Mutarium is Livin Studio in collaboration with Utrecht University in the Netherlands. This could be paired with the recent breakthrough made by the North Dakota State University that invented a new kind of plastic that breaks down in just 3 hours.

As of the moment there is an estimated total of 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean, polluting the waters that cause diseases and also harm natural wildlife. Many animals and ocean plant life are negatively affected by the abundance of plastic pollution.

Fungi Mutarium might be a solution to reduce the amount of pollution within the next twenty years.

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Chinese Company Builds 10 Houses a Day Using 3D Printing Technology

A Chinese company has recently demonstrated the capability of its 3D printer to build houses fast and easy. The company used its giant 3D printer and built 10houses in a matter of 24 hours. This is a game changer for the constructionindustry.

The house may look simple but, the concept is proven viable. This 3D printing technology represents a significant achievement in rapid building construction. The integrity of the building constructed by the 3D printer can pass rigorous building standards.

One big thing that goes for this technology is that it uses mostly recycled materials. Thus, a building contractor, or an enterprising homeowner, can build a house under US$5,000. This house is really very affordable.

Considering that a building contractor can roll out hundreds of these types of houses in a matter of days, this technology is very viable for underdeveloped and developing countries which are struggling to house their impoverished citizens.

WinSun Decoration Design Engineering, the company that uses this 3D printing technology, is in the business of building affordable houses in Shanghai, China.

This company uses four giant 3D printers measuring 10 meters by 6.6 meters each. The print head of a 3D printer looks similar to a baker’s piping gun, as it lays out the building mix layer by layer.

WinSun use a mixture of cement and construction waste to build the walls, layer by layer. It is a process very similar to how the icing of a cake is made. This company uses a quick-dry cement to speed up the building process.

But instead of printing houses in one pass, Winsun’s 3D printers make building blocks by layering up a cement/glass mix in structural patterns. There will be plenty of air gaps as the diagonally reinforced print patterns are built. These air gaps act as the structure’s insulation.

The building blocks are printed in WinSun’s central factory, and delivered and quickly assembled on site. This process makes it possible to build several houses in a very short time.

Every small house constructed this way takes very little assembly work. Winsun’s initial target market for this technology is low income housing projects. 

"We purchased parts for the printer overseas, and assembled the machine in a factory in Suzhou," says Ma Yihe, WinSun CEO in an interview with the International Business Times. "Such a new type of 3D-printed structure is environment-friendly and cost-effective," he adds.

To ensure the integrity of every house, each of their components is checked for quality as they are being erected. Since there are no building codes for 3D printing construction in China, WinSun ensures that all their buildings are strong and stable.

Aside from the lower construction cost, this 3D printing technology prevents the exposure of workers to hazardous materials and dangerous work environments which are prevalent in the construction industry.

The entire building process is also eco-friendly because it uses recycled materials instead of natural stones. "To obtain natural stone, we have to employ miners, dig up blocks of stone and saw them into pieces," says Ma. "This badly damages the environment," he explains.

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Exoskeleton Development Reaching New Heights

An exoskeleton suit is no longer being confined to the world of comic books, movies, and video games. In scientific terms, an exoskeleton is the protective covering on insects, giving them protection and strength. Now companies are developing a robotic version of this.

Several companies around the world, including the United States military, have been working different ideas of robotic suits that could increase a person’s lifting capacity, reduce fatigue, and even help paralyzed people walk.

Anyone who has seen the Iron Man movies and the Avengers will instantly recognize what an exoskeleton suit it. It is a robotic suit that a person can easily fit in and it should be able to provide the wearer with more strength, endurance and speed. It should prevent wearer injury as well.

There are several problems however, that has slowed down the progress of these robotic suits. The biggest concern is a reliable power source.

As of today there is no significant technology that could run a human-sized suit for a few hours at a time. Rechargeable batteries have been taken into consideration but these batteries often do not carry much energy and even if they do, the wearer would need to constantly bring a charging unit with them.

That may not be a very practical design, especially if the suit is meant for military use.

Consumable batteries have also been taken into consideration but that would force a wearer to bring an extra power source, again rendering it impractical for field use.

Another issue is the weight of the power suit. However, many developers are designing newer exoskeleton suits that are getting smaller and lighter without sacrificing their power.

One of the most prevalent suits currently in development is the HAL 5, a civilian suit developed by Japanese company Cyberdyne. The HAL 5 allows the wearer to lift objects 10 times their lifting capacity. The HAL 5 has been used in Japanese hospitals and was granted global safety certification since 2013.

Another suit currently being developed is the HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States military. It is a suit specifically for the legs and allows the wearer to carry heavy loads (up to 200 pounds) at a constant running speed.

The HULC suit has also been modified for medical use.

There is another military exoskeleton currently in development and it is the direct competitor to the HULC suit: the Raytheon XOS exoskeleton and XOS 2. This is an arms and legs suit which also allows a higher lifting capacity and is being redesigned to decrease power consumption while also increasing power output.

Not all exoskeleton suits are a robotic version of lifting utilities. Some of these exoskeletons such as the ReWalk and the Indego Exoskeleton are designed to help paraplegic patients walk without the use of a crutch.

While it may be a long while until these suits see practical deployment and mass production since there is still no reliable portable power source other than batteries, scientists point out that big improvements are on the horizon and new developments are to be expected in the next five years.

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Experts Divided on Question of Safety of E-cigarettes

The market for e-cigarettes has steadily grown in recent years as the products are being marketed as healthier alternatives to the real thing. According to manufacturers, electronic cigarettes are perfect for smokers who want to quit or cut down. While they also contain nicotine and flavourings, it is tobacco-free and only has “stage smoke”. But are they really safe?

According to M. Brad Drummond, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, electronic cigarettes look like the real ones, and when a smoker exhales a vapour comes out. Inside however is a cartridge that contains the nicotine, flavour and other liquids.

Experts agree that the lack of tobacco makes electronic cigarettes healthier than regular cigarettes. However, the nicotine still has addictive properties, and when someone stops vaping (rather than smoking), withdrawal symptoms may manifest such as anxiety, restlessness, depression and irritability. According to health experts, those with weak immune systems could become vulnerable to heart problems.

That being said, the majority of health experts say that when compared to regular cigarettes, the electronic counterpart is much safer. Several tests have determined that the biggest health risk comes from tobacco smoke, which electronic cigarettes do not have. In several trials that involve electronic cigarettes, it was revealed that these cigarettes only have very low levels of hazardous chemicals, although what each product contains will vary.

According to Professor Drummond, electronic cigarettes are not as harmful as regular smoke, though the long term effect is still unclear. Health experts are also divided about the effects of second hand exposure. While the ill effects of second hand smoke are well established, it’s not the case with electronic cigarettes.

The numbers of smokers that resort to electronic cigarettes continue to grow, but the debate among health experts about its safety has not abated. Although many are of the opinion that electronic cigarettes help, others say it makes things worse. Those against electronic cigarettes say the inclusion of nicotine makes it a “gateway drug”, which means nonsmokers might be tempted to smoke.

In fact, several newspapers in the UK have conducted tests on various cigarette alternatives and determined some have ten times the level of carcinogen formaldehyde found in tobacco cigarettes. The BBC recently imposed a ban on vaping in their offices, following a similar move by Wetherspoon, a popular pub chain. In addition, several cinemas in the UK and other countries do not allow vaping, and people are not allowed to vape in public in Western Australia, New York and Mexico City among others.

While the debate is ongoing, there’s no question that the popularity of electronic cigarettes continue to grow. According to Michael Siegel, MD, MPH of Boston University’s School of Public Health, the best option is for smokers to “quit completely”. But if that is not possible, smokers are “better off” with electronic cigarettes as it is safer. To stress his point, Siegel used the analogy of a heroin addict replacing the substance with methadone painkiller. Although the painkiller has risks, it is safer than heroin.

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15 Year Old Engineering Whiz from Sierra Leone Gets Invited to MIT

Kelvin Doe is a 15 year old engineering whiz from Sierra Leone. Despite the poverty that he and his family face in one of the poorest areas of the country, he has been able to create his own power generators, batteries, and even an FM radio station. He has now been invited to MIT.

Living in poverty, Kelvin is forced to go through his town’s trash bins and scout for numerous electronic parts that can be taken apart and repaired. In many instances he has reverse-engineered numerous findings in order to understand how they work and how could build his own.

The town he resides in doesn’t even have regular supply of electricity. For three weeks the city is dark with no electricity and for a few days for one week the lights come on. To remedy this, Kelvin designed his own batteries that could provide light to the homes of his neighbours.

Kelvin has also made his own radio station and plays music into the homes of everyone nearby. He goes under the air name of DJ Focus.

During a Summer Innovation Camp event at Sierra Leone, Kelvin met David Sengeh of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or MIT. Since then David has been working on bringing Kelvin to the United States and become a guest at the school through the MIT Visiting Practitioner’s Program.

The crowd-funding efforts and sponsorships that David had worked on successfully provided the necessary funds to allow Kelvin to visit the school, reside in the US, and both show his innovations while also gaining the education he can bring back home with him to Sierra Leone.

Kelvin’s visit will be his first time out of Sierra Leone and also his first time in the United States. His visit primarily focuses on visiting numerous colleges – MIT being the most important visit – and Kelvin will focus on learning now that he has the resources that would otherwise be unavailable to him back home.

To date, Kelvin Doe is now the youngest person to have ever been invited through the Visiting Practitioner’s Program.

During his stay in MIT Kelvin worked on the technology that ran his radio station back at home and he also studied the different technologies that could help his community in Sierra Leone.

One of his statements was that his next big project would be to develop a wind mill to provide free, renewable energy for his neighbourhood in Sierra Leone. This would be the first step in his goal of providing free electricity and better utilities such as clean water and communication at home.

There is also an ongoing fundraising campaign that does not only support Kelvin in his visit to the United States but it will also help the youth back in Sierra Leone. This will enable the young inventors and innovators in Sierra Leone to acquire the materials they need to finish their projects and test their work.

The money will allow inventors like Kelvin Doe and other teams to build their prototypes, test them, and eventually bring them into the market.

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Artic Sea Ice Melts Due to Global Warming

Ever wonder why 2013 seems to be the hottest year? “Climate change is real. There will always be uncertainty in understanding a system as complex as the world’s climate. However, there is now strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring.”

“The evidence comes from direct measurements of rising surface air temperatures and subsurface ocean temperatures and from phenomena such as increases in average global sea levels, retreating glaciers, and changes to many physical and biological systems.”

These are words taken from the joint statement signed by the heads of the national science academies in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the United States. Earth’s climate conditions appear to be in serious state.

The annual State of the Climate Report 2013 also concurs with this statement. This report consists of reviewed scientific data and weather events over the past year. The study was done by a group of 400 scientists in 50 countries.

Their study showed that 2013 was one of the hottest years on record. They have confirmed the fact that greenhouse gases are reaching record highs. This is probably the reason why arctic sea ice melts at the rate it is going now.

In addition, a report made by the World Meteorological Organization in November, 2013 clearly stated that 2013 was the seventh hottest year since records began in 1850. Rising sea levels, caused in part by artic sea ice melts and climate change has aggravated the impact of storms.

If this condition continues, the 2014 report will show similar results. “These findings reinforce what scientists for decades have observed: that our planet is becoming a warmer place,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The global atmospheric measurements done by the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii also indicated that for the first time, the daily concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere exceeded 400 parts per million.

This was a year after observational sites in the Arctic recorded levels of CO2 at 400 ppm in the spring of 2012. This indicates that faster Artic sea ice melts can be expected and that 2013 can safely be considered as one of the hottest years to date.

This is the seventh warmest year in the Arctic since records began to be compiled in the early 1900's. At that time, the Artic sea ice cover was the sixth lowest since satellite observations began in 1979.

More greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere will mean a warmer future and more extreme weather conditions. This is proven by the hurricanes that buffeted the Asian countries in recent times. The hurricanes were among the strongest and the most devastating storms ever recorded.

The Annual State of the Climate Report 2013 has also listed some of the weather occurrences last year that shows the on-going effects of climate change.

“Australia observed its warmest year on record, while Argentina had its second and New Zealand its third warmest,” the report said. The report also indicated that the sea surface temperature also rose, and the Artic Sea experienced its seventh hottest year.

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Solar Stickers Is the Future of Solar Energy says Stanford Scientist

Stanford scientist Xiaolin Zheng, head of the Zheng Research Group at Stanford University claims that he and his team has created thin, flexible solar cells that are made from standard materials which can be applied to almost any kind of surface, including an ordinary sticker.

 If this is true, solar stickers would revolutionize the way solar cells are made. Conventional thin-film solar cells are made with stiff glass substrates, thereby limiting their potential applications. Although there are more flexible options, they require special materials and a delicate production process.

Zheng is a nano-scientist as well as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. From his younger days, he sought to provide solutions to the problems related to solar power. He observed that his parent’s effort to convert to solar power was made more difficult because of the limited roof space where solar panels are traditionally installed.

This Stanford scientist remembers the off-hand comment of his father that it would be easier if they can only hang their solar panels out their windows. This will give them easier access, easier piping and reduced competition for roof space.

The prospect of creating solar stickers through the method developed by this Stanford scientist is great because there are tons of natural resources that can be used for this purpose. Concerns about the raw materials and their sources are things that confront PV manufacturers as they develop modern technologies that can cope with our ever-growing demand for consumption.

Solar power is the best alternative in coping with this constantly increasing energy demand since it is widely and easily accessible, and will not run out of supply.

The process of making the peel-and-stick cells is quite simple. The researchers at Stanford University started the process by applying a 300-nanometer layer of nickel onto a stiff silicon/silicon dioxide wafer.

By applying standard fabrication techniques, they then deposited thin-film solar cells onto the nickel. Afterwards, they applied a protective polymer over the solar cells. They followed it up with a layer of thermal release tape which they applied over the cells.

The sandwiched material is then submerged in water at room temperature. One edge of the tape is peeled off, letting the water seep in between the wafer and the nickel layer. As soon as the nickel is completely separated from the wafer, the researchers have a bare wafer, with the tape still clinging onto it.

This tape, together with its contents is then heated to about 90 degrees Centigrade for a few seconds. Adhesive is applied to the non-tape side, and the whole item is then applied to a selected surface.

When the tape is peeled off, all that will be left are the polymer-coated cells, which adhere to the surface just like a decal.

These solar stickers definitely have more potential than conventional solar cells. They will reduce the cost of production of solar cells because they will do away with the glass/silicone substrate which takes up most of the structure of conventional solar panels.

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The Future Of Commercial Solar Power Depends On The RET’s Status

Amidst the Cabinet’s division over what should be done with Australia’s Renewable Energy Target (RET), the Clean Energy Council (CEC) recently claimed that the number of installed solar power for businesses has reached 15,000 and “tens of thousands more” of these businesses will “follow suit” should the RET be “left as legislated.” Prime Minister Tony Abbott has all but scrapped the RET while Environment Minister Greg Hunt wants it scaled back.

The government is considering a RET review, courtesy of businessman and former Caltex chairman Dick Warburton, who was head of the panel that recommended to shut out new entrants or close it until there is an expansion of energy demand, a scenario not likely due to an excess in capacity of coal-fired power consumption. The RET was to have comprised 20% of the country’s goal to achieve 41,000 gigawatts (GWs) by 2020, but because of the electricity demand’s overall fall, has now been equated to 26%.

 A “True 20% RET” is the Best Outcome

Not to mention the risk of unemployment and billion dollar investments down the drain should the RET be closed or pared back. Cutting the RET, explained CEC acting chief executive Kane Thornton, would have “no benefit to consumers.” Leaving the RET alone, he said, can help significantly towards job creation and investment generation.

Scrapping the RET will make it more difficult for businesses to choose commercial solar power over traditional grid-sourced electricity. Business Council of Australia chief executive Jennifer Westacott expressed the need for Australia’s major political parties to concur on a revision of the RET.

According to Westacott’s opinion piece, published by the Australian Financial Review, bipartisan support amongst business, the renewable energy industry, and the community for “a true 20% RET” would be “the best outcome,” translatable to meeting the RET’s megawatt goal without becoming a huge financial burden on consumers.

Pyne’s Unconfirmed Support

Greens, the Palmer United, and Labour parties have voiced opposition to RET revisions. Simply put, the Abbot government will not have a sufficient number of votes in the Australian Senate to change it.

The RET, introduced during the administration of John Howard, requires the purchase of clean energy certificates by energy producers to meet the target for renewable energy sources.

Investments in commercial solar power of the renewable energy industry have been cancelled or halted as a result of the uncertainty brought about by the RET’s review by the Warburton panel.

The Solar Council, meanwhile, hopes to target 20 of the most marginal electorates of the Coalition. In an interesting twist, Education Minister Christopher Pyne is reportedly throwing his all-out support for the RET.

What Pyne Reportedly Told Solar Installers

According to Guardian Australia, Pyne met with solar installers and told them that he does not want changes made to the present terms of the RET, which mandates that the country meet the previously mentioned 41,000 gigawatt hours from renewable sources like wind and solar by the year 2020.

Pyne’s spokesman, however, was more vague about it, saying that the Education Minister “indicated” the government’s review of the Warburton report is ongoing and options are being considered, including those of solar power for businesses.

No Assumption of the RET’s Abolition

The spokesman also said that “no one” should be of the assumption that there will be an abolition of the RET. This development comes as mounting pressure continues for Labour to commit to a compromise. Labour, however, is not showing any signs of foregoing its adamant opposition to changes made or even proposed to the RET.

Mark Butler, environment spokesman for Labour, said the Prime Minister’s government “shattered any notion of bipartisanship” for the RET the moment it turned away from the election commitment to retain the existing 41,000 GW hours by the year 2020.

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From Intestinal Bacteria To Renewable Energy Source

A joint research of London’s Imperial College and Finland’s University of Turku was successful in generating clean fuel by “tricking” the Escherichia coli bacteria to produce not what they normally produce, which are cell membranes, but propane. According to Patrik Jones from Imperial College’s Department of Life Sciences, they have produced only “tiny amounts” but the fuel that resulted is ready and available for use any time in any engine.

The possibility of commercial production may be well into the future of five to ten years, but already, making production economically sustainable has begun. The research team will utilize what they have come up with – synthesizing propane gas production – in photosynthetic bacteria for chemical fuel conversion from solar energy. Propane is inherently a clean form of fuel because of its relatively low carbon content.

E. coli is Less Expensive to Process than Algae

A global market currently exists for propane, a by-product of petroleum refining as well as processing of natural gas. Propane may be a gas but it can also be liquefied easily. One of the most commonly used fuel forms, liquid petroleum gas or LPG, is made up mostly of propane. A clean propane extraction will be a welcome substitute to fossil fuel because both refined petroleum and natural gas have finite properties.

According to Jones, the increasing demands for energy could be met with new ways such as the utilization of propane. Unlike current favourite algae, which is difficult to harvest and process and is also more expensive, propane is compatible with current infrastructures that use fossil fuels for power and can be easily separated with minimal energy spent using natural processes. These two attributes of propane led to the Escherichia coli research.

Confusing E. coli Equals A New Renewable Energy Source

Interrupting E. coli’s natural process as they create cell membranes from fatty acids, the research teams used three various enzymes each with a separate function. Altering E. coli’s metabolism by employing a new enzyme called aldehyde-deformylating oxygenase (ADO) that can create hydrocarbons naturally, the confused bacteria went on to make propane instead.

ADO’s role was boosted by electrons that enabled it to strengthen its catalytic capabilities to produce propane. Up until this time, propane, a flammable compound, has been produced exclusively as a by-product of refined petrol and natural gas processing, two fossil fuels that continue to contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Studying How E. coli Turned into Propane

Under the Clean Air Act, however, propane is an environmental-friendly fuel because it is broken down into water and carbon dioxide upon burning. In gas form, propane can easily escape from E. coli but can be turned with an inexpensive process into liquid form for transport and storage. Jones and his colleagues are working to refine the process of producing propane gas in order to achieve commercial viability.

The bacteria-produced propane which resulted from the research of Jones and his team (Pauli Kallio, Kati Thiel, and Andras Pasztor from the biochemistry department of the University of Turku and University College of London’s Kalim Akhtar) is “a thousand times” less the quantity required for commercial purposes. Jones admitted that they do not have, as yet, “a full grasp” of how the molecules of the fuel are formed; their further study focuses on how this formation unfolds.

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First Quarter of 2014 Sees Spike in Installation of Euro Solar Panels

Commercial solar power installations are in an all-time high as more and more commercial establishments and large companies see the value in investing for a more sustainable and renewable energy source. As such, companies such as Euro Solar are ramping up their research and development efforts in order to support the rising demand for more cost-efficient solar power products and solutions. As more clients opt to switch to solar, operational costs are effectively offset by rising demand, allowing providers to offer more affordable alternatives and offer cheaper costs of installation and maintenance.

While the costs of installation left Euro Solar Panels rather inaccessible for quite some time, much has been done to make this new technology affordable even for residential consumers. The government has played an active role in the promotion of green energy and used to offer a lot of incentives to encourage customers to switch to solar energy. Such efforts have been toned down recently, but fortunately came in a time when solar power installations are already in full swing and enjoying popular support from various sectors in Australian society, which is expected to continue.

Commercial Solar Power in Australia

While majority of the new applications for solar power installations are coming from residential clients, the bulk of the consumer base for Australia’s solar power industry still consists of commercial and industrial players. This is obviously because of the fact that these large players have more to gain in cutting down their monthly energy consumption, allowing wider margins for profit and more affordable operational costs. In addition, the switch to solar power enjoys good support from the government, which offers subsidies and tax rebates most of the time for companies willing to reduce their carbon footprint.

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Specifically How Rooftop Solar Panels Can Enhance House Resale Values

Matthew Householder, a game developer who resides in San Francisco, California, installed rooftop solar panels on his home, but not because he is an environmentalist but because he wished to increase his home's resale value. Depending on Householder, installing the panel four years ago seemed like having an additional bathroom. He also believed that the installation cost might be recovered since the overall value of his home would be increased.

A Boom imminent for Solar Technology

In California, the average electricity cost monthly was $87.91 in 2012, as reported from U.S. Energy Information Administration or EIA. House holder pays $250 a year for his household's electricity consumption, he wanted to try the reported economic payoff of utilizing solar power, hence, the installation of rooftop solar panels. The technology that was once eschewed because it was believed to be complicated to manage and too expensive to being stalled is now being used by an increasing number of American households.

As mentioning by Greentech Media Company and the Solar Energies Industry Association, a boom threatens for solar technology as it surpassed installations of commercial electricity in just three months at the beginning of 2014. Over a third of these installations were residential and came online sans incentives from the U.S. government. The current price useful solar power, however, continues to concern its users a midst an escalation of a trade war between america and a major Asian photo voltaic panel producer: China.

Tax Incentives and Rebate Benefits

This "war" can cause low costs of solar energy to increase one more time. The good news is that advocates of renewable energy sources are continuously streamlining the processes of solar technologies in order to facilitate more consumers to obtain tax incentives and rebate benefits linked with the utilization of solar energy.

Homeowners appreciate these efforts as an assurance that their home resale values remain high. Sunnyvale, California senior scientist John Cremin had 12 rooftop solar powers installed on his home in 2006 if you want to reduce his own carbon footprint. His chosen solar installer did all the necessary paperwork and was capable to obtain rebate benefits for him.

The "Hassles" of Going Solar

The "hassles" that utilize paper work regarding permit acquisition and government rebates are primary reasons why consumers avoid going solar. As explaining by environmental think tank senior policy analyst Tony Dutzik, people think that these hassles are not worth switching to solar power for, even when financing is available and property owner recognize higher home resale values for residences with solar panels.

In Palo Alto, the first city in the state of California of being issued a Green Power Community Certificate with U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), officials expedite the required paper work for homeowners who want solar installation. As mentioning on utilities marketing engineer Lindsay Hoye, Palo Alto used of being a difficult city to obtain solar permits from but they have streamlined their process to come up with 250 permits issued for the first half of 2014 alone.

Who Gets Handsome Resale Values?

Experts are saying, however, that although solar leasing is more budget-friendly for consumers on a long-term basis, homeowners are not likely to reap satisfactory premium on resale unless they own the panels. Those who own installed solar panels make handsome home resale values in profits in California.

71-year-old Evanston, Illinois resident Steve Perkins explained that residences with rooftop solar powers sell faster because they move faster on the marketplaces than those that lack. Perkins, a Center for Neighborhood Technology senior vice-president, was one of 28 individuals in the Evanston area to have hot water powered by U.S. Solar Network's solar power.

Matthew Householder, a game developer who resides in San Francisco, California, installed rooftop solar panels on his home, but not because he is an environmentalist but because he wanted to increase his home's resale value. House holder pays $250 a year for his household's electricity consumption, he wanted to try the reported economic payoff of utilizing solar power, hence, the installation of rooftop solar panels. According to Greentech Media Company and the Solar Energies Industry Association, a boom is in the offing for solar technology as it surpassed installations of commercial electricity in just three months at the beginning of 2014. The current price of using solar energy, however, continues to concern its users a midst an escalation of a trade war between the U.S. and a major Asian solar panel producer: China.

Sunnyvale, California senior scientist John Cremin had 12 rooftop solar panels installed on his home in 2006 in order to reduce his own carbon footprint.

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The Progress of Wearable Solar Technology

Imagine you could charge your phone, or any of your devices, discretely in your pocket while busy? No, you wouldn't must carry around a solar battery and power system with you. You wouldn't need to carry a backpack with an integrated solar panel either. Imagine the actual fabric of your clothing as the solar panel. That corrects, the future is coming at us fast.

Researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai have developed a material that might be worn while collecting and converting solar radiation into electricity. The material is lightweight, flexible and inexpensive to produce. The scientists have discovered a way to inter weave microscopic metal wires (the wires are coated with an active polymer which absorbs light) with titanium dioxide nano tubes and another kind of active polymer, which forms a fabric.

Thus, all of the components of a traditional solar panel exist, if in an entirely new arrangement. The metal wires absorb sunlight and start the photo voltaic effect by generating'electron holes'. The electrons 'jump' from hole to hole, always parallel to form an electrical current. The electrons are conducted by titanium dioxide nano tubes (the negative layer) while the secondary active layer conducts the electron holes (the positive layer). The circuit is completed by a layers or sheets of transparent, conductive carbon nano tubes.

The fabric is able to be bent over 200 times and since the entirety of the 'threads' is coated in photo active material, can collect solar energy from both sides. The end result is a thin material that can withstand the wear and tear of everyday usage, fit over irregular shapes and surfaces, all the while efficiently collecting light energy.

The only problem through this technology? It is far away from reaching consumers' hands. Currently, researchers have only had the capacity to produce a tiny patch of the solar fabric and while this is a huge achievement in itself, it means that there is a long way to go yet before it can be mass scaled. This is among the best common problems with new solar technologies being developed today. Samples could be created in labs, but developing the equipment and designing the manufacturing processes as being able to produce large batches is a huge challenge. It also doesn't come cheap, which is partially why plenty of of these new solar technologies don't can make it to the marketplace quickly.

While it is unlikely that we will have the ability to wear 'solar shirts' within the next few years, it is comforting to remember that once upon a time the variety of solar panels that might be found on countless rooftops around the world was once just a tiny patch of photo active materials.

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