Mercedes Electric SLS AMG; Solar Power Generation to Double by 2010; Onion Juice-Methane-Fuel Cell; $85 billion for algal and advanced biofuels; OLED Breakthrough Yields 75% More Efficient Lights

Mercedes Reveals Electric SLS AMG. Mercedes will be electrifying one of my favorite cars, the SLS AMG. The SLS AMG electric version has four electric motors placed near the wheels which put out 392 kW (or the equivalent of 525 horsepower). Pretty sweet.

Solar Power Generation to Double by 2010. A glut in solar panel capacity may mean this is the best opportunity for businesses to buy their own solar installations. New research suggest that global solar capacity may double by 2010. New investments in clean energy could rise to $450 billion in 2012, or triple the $150 billion spent in 2007.

Onion Juice-Methane-Fuel Cell. Gills Onions has come up with a clever way to dispose of its daily 300,000-pound load of onion waste – turn it into methane, and use the gas to power fuel cells that can cover the plant’s baseload electrical needs. How incredible is that? That is some creative thinking!

DOE readies $85 billion for algal and advanced biofuels. The Department of Energy is getting ready to spend $85 billion on research to create biofuels made from algae and other advanced techniques. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds will be made available “for the development of algae-based biofuels and advanced, infrastructure-compatible biofuels” that can be brought “to market in an accelerated timeframe.” For my money, I like this idea way better than ethanol or hydrogen.

OLED Breakthrough Yields 75% More Efficient Lights. Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) recently announced a breakthrough in OLED technology that shatters all prior efficiency standards, reducing the ultra-thin lights’ energy consumption by 75%.