In a landmark decision at the EU summit in Belgium, member nation agree to dedicate one-fifth of the bloc's energy production to renewable energy sources. Also part of the agreement: 10 percent of all European vehicles will be required to run on biofuels.
This agreement marks the first to go beyond the requirements of the 35-nation Kyoto Protocol, though it was not without compromise. Led by the French representatives, the Czechs and Slovaks pushed for the inclusion of nuclear power as viable under the agreement. This, and the concession to give each country its own economically relevant targets, won over the Eastern European dissenters. The Associated Press reports.
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__ Robo-Amphibian May Give Evolution Clues:__ European scientists have built a robot that they believe mimics the primitive electric nervous system of what could have been the first animal to emerge from the primordial waters onto land. The robot was created to demonstrate how a spinal cord developed to direct a swimming motion could also handle the coordination necessary to walk. The Associated Press reports.
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Hitachi to Sell Business PCs Made by HP: Hitachi said Friday it will sell replace its current Flora line of business computers in Japan with ones made by Hewlett-Packard. The new machines would be sold under the Hitachi brand. This latest deal strengthens longtime cooperative ties with the California-based computer and software company, who currently supplies Hitachi with servers. The Associated Press reports.
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__ White House Chooses Its Solar Energy Herald:__ President Bush's Solar America Initiative program to help solar energy compete with conventional electricity sources will help fund Konarka Technologies. The company is developing of flexible plastic solar cell strips that would offer a lightweight, flexible alternative to conventional rigid photovoltaic cells on glass panels.
To date, Konarka has raised $10 million in grant money from U.S. and European governments, including funding from the Pentagon, to supply lightweight portable battery chargers and solar material for use as tents.
The first commercial products using Konarka's technology are not expected to hit the market until next year, but undisclosed prototypes will be presented in the second half of this year to commercial partners. If Konarka is successful in bringing this technology to market, expects believe that this company has a chance of becoming the industry leader. The Associated Press reports.
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