Van Gogh was well known for painting over previous paintings, art lovers have always wanted to know what these previous painting may have looked like if they were ever preserved. Luckily with a new technology it has become possible to see old paintings in a new light (Literally). Scientists from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, along with University of Antwerp in Belgium, worked on Van Gogh's 1887 Patch of Grass. A square area measuring 17.5 by 17.5 centimeters shows a women's head looking slightly left. Owned now by the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands, the picture was subjected to a technique known as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, which allows experts to map the chemicals on it.

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Thought of renting a car on your trip to Beijing for the Olympics? Think again! Beijing is one of the world's most polluted cities and road traffic grows by 1,200 vehicles a day. August, when the wind drops and the normally dry climate turns humid, is typically one of the worst months for smog. With the Olympics deadline approaching the city of Beijing has gone into a massive green drive to clean up the cities smoggy skies. To do this, half the city's 3.3m cars are banned from the roads each day, depending on whether their number plates end in an odd or even digit. All construction sites and more factories in and around Beijing may be temporarily closed if the air quality deteriorates during the games. To add fuel to the fire there are chances that it may rain on the ceremonial day.

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After frying cutlets and fries oil from McDonald's in Philippines is used by the Makati Police Department in Manila to run their cars. Currently under evaluation but if the six month study is a a success, then 60 percent diesel and 40 percent McDonald’s cooking oil could become the standard fuel used by the Makati Police force. According to the Manila Times, the PNP-Bio Diesel Program will save the police department $22 each time the fill-up as compared to current gas-prices. That equivalent to more than $11,000 a year when spread across 10 police cars.

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Even thought it is busy in meeting its deadlines to get the world's cheapest car into production, Tata is currently working on five prototypes of electric vehicles. The vehicle is supposed to be initially assembled in Norway. India's only other electric car maker Reva has sold 2,500 units, including 1,000 in the UK, and is hiking capacity to 30,000 units by December from 6,000. Tata will use its Indica platform for the development of its electric car instead of the $2500 Nano.

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When you walk into any airline cabin today you are greeted by a pleasant hostess/host showing you your seat. Once that mystery is solved the next thing on your agenda is to find something to pass your time before the in-flight movie begins. That’s when we find the airline magazine filled with boring PR and insanely expensive perfume/gift catalogue, along with the in-flight entertainment guide. These magazines are usually thick and printed in high gloss sometimes scented paper. Well, step into the new Emirates Airbus 380 and you will be surprised to not find a magazine in the front shelf of your seat. The decision to ban all onboard paper will lighten the aircraft by a tone thereby reducing fuel expenses and saving the environment. The printed matter will be replaced by content shown on the aircraft's seat-back TVs.

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Texas has been given preliminary approval for a $4.9 billion plan to build transmission lines to carry wind power from West Texas to urban areas such as Dallas. Citizens will pay an extra $3 to $4 each month on their electricity bills for the next few years. The plan will account for enough lines to carry 18,000 megawatts (MW) -- a serious amount of electricity. The state currently generates 5,000 MW, so these lines will leave plenty of room for growth. Citizens will pay an extra $3 to $4 each month on their electricity bills for the next few years. The plan would also be the biggest investment in clean energy in U.S. history.

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Johnny Depp is planning on converting his island home to run on solar hydrogen technology. In 2005, Depp bought the the 35-acre island in the Bahamas for around $3m. The star is third in line to receive a grid-independent solar hydrogen system from Mike Strizki. For those of you who dont know Mike Stirzki, well he is the inventor of the first solar-hydrogen house in New Jersey.

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If you live in an all day sunny environment house its time to tap into all that wasted solar energy. Tokyo-based Nihon Telecommunication System Inc. has given householders another option to do their bit to help the planet by developing windowpanes with built-in photovoltaic cells. The electricity produced through the panes will be just enough to power a PC and recharge a cell phone. The electricity will be tapped via USB ports. The new windowpanes are supposed to generate up to 70 watts of electricity per square meter of glass. The solar cells have a power generation efficiency of 7 to 8%. The glass (thickness: 10.5mm) will prevent up to 90% of sunlight coming into a room and therefore reduce air conditioning costs.

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Alternate energy is the new investment mantra for power generation, but is this all just a rosy picture? The biggest problem with wind energy is the unavailability of wind on all parts of the globe. Coal the current source of 50% all energy produced for the country, along with natural gas making up about 21%, and nuclear power comprises about 20%. Hydro and oil each contribute a bit as well, while traditional renewable - wind, solar, biomass and geothermal - ring in at only 3% combined. A billionaire oilman has been hitting the airwaves, pitching a plan to use wind to replace all the natural gas that's used to produce electricity, then using that saved natural gas to fuel cars. To make sure enough power is available when the wind isn't blowing, backup generators would be needed this causes, that could mean maintaining those natural gas plants that cause harm to the environment. In case of emergency a wiser idea would be implementing even more novel ideas like systems in Europe that use excess wind electricity to pump water uphill when the wind is blowing, then release it through hydro dams when the wind stops.

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With the number of home owners installing solar panels everyday and more communities now reaping its benefits, it’s no surprise that the solar business is booming. The newest adopters are Fresno-Yosemite International (FYI). The airport, which served 1.38 million passengers last year, is situated on 2,150 acres and mostly deals in private air traffic had a large amount of the land around that was sitting idle and undeveloped while the airport was struggling to deal with soaring energy costs. Meanwhile, the airport was launching a trial program to deploy solar panels on the roof of an expansion building which was to house rental car services. The idea clicked -- solar power could fuel the airport's power needs. Not stopping with the rooftops, FYI expanded its solar offerings, placing panels over the equivalent of seven football fields’ worth of undeveloped land. Now, with its construction complete for the time being, finishing last month, FYI has found itself in a new position -- green leader. A 2 MW solar facility which was finally put to use last month it now powers the airport's lighting and the communications tower. While modest compared to some dedicated solar plants, the FYI's installation is a perfect example of a business putting solar to use.

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The town of Okotoks, Alberta, Canada has set a world record as being the first solar powered community of North America. 800 solar panels located throughout the community on garage roofs, and they produce 1.5 mega-watts of thermal power during a summer day and supply heat to the district heating system. The homes are average sized, with low energy demands ranging from 1,492 to 1,664 square feet. The homes have been built using locally manufactured materials, and recycled material too has been used in construction. The homes will be certified to Natural Resources Canada’s R-2000 Standard for energy efficiency, and the Built Green™ Alberta program. An array of solar panels on the roofs of their houses and garages, the solar panels absorb the solar energy during the daytime and heat the glycol solution. The glycol solution travels through the collector loop and reaches an underground heat exchanger within the community’s centralized Energy Center. The heat is then transferred from heat exchanger to the water stored in a short-term storage tank. The glycol solution returns to the solar collector system. The Energy Center has short-term thermal storage tanks and long-thermal storage tanks (Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system). During the warmer months the heated water is transferred to the underground borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) system via a series of pipes. The water heats up the surrounding earth increasing the temperature to 80 degrees C (176 °F). The water returns to the short-term storage tanks to be heated again. The heat is stored underground insulated with sand, high-density R-40 insulation, a waterproof membrane, clay, and other landscaping materials.

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Daimler was not so forthcoming about their EV Smart till it didn't pass around a hundred tests or so, and apparently since the car has done sufficiently well in those tests, the car will be on the roads by 2010. This tit-bit was announced by none other than the company CEO Dieter Zetsche. Hopefully this announcement has nothing to do with the fact that the Chevy Volt is scheduled to come out in 2010 as well. Little else is known, except that the company is undecided whether it wants to sell or lease the batteries. Leasing does lower the up-front cost, but continued cost of ownership may be an issue. Neither pricing nor US release has been indicated.

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At a recent presentation, MINI USA VP Jim McDowell clarified that there is no concrete news on the car's US debut, except that will be in "regular customers hands" by the summer of 2009. Although he could not specify what type of battery that will be in the cars, he did say that MINI would make a further announcement later this year, probably at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Furthermore, it has not yet been finalized whether the cars will be leased or sold, or how many will be built.

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Ineos a British chemicals company seems to have found the answer to soaring fuel prices; an alternative fuel derived from rubbish. They have patented a method of producing fuel from municipal solid waste, agricultural waste and organic commercial waste. Apparently they can produce about 400 liters (90 gallons) of ethanol from one tone of dry waste. The procedure is thus: they heat the waste to produce gases, which is then fed to bacteria, who in turn produce ethanol that can be purified into a fuel. Ineos plans to sell the environmental product in industrial quantities by the end of 2010. Peter Williams, the chief executive of Ineos Bio, said: "This should mean that, unlike with other biofuels, we won't have to make the choice between food and fuel."

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Every six months or so a new city is announced in the city of Dubai, so in keeping with the times this time its another Eco city that is planned in the already popular list of new eco cities springing up. The Xeritown is planned for Dubailand. The 60-acre city is designed in a way that it will accommodate the elements of the desert rather than overcome them. The city follows a north-south axis to take advantage of the cool breeze coming in from the sea. The buildings, rather than artificial and water intense landscaping, provide shading and structure. Flat circles will hang over street walkways and photovoltaics will be placed on the circles to collect solar energy. A major aim of the project will also be to conserve ecological resources such as water, soil, flora, and fauna.

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