It now turns out that graphene could prove far more efficient in transforming light into energy.

This was established in a study carried out at the Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO in Spain which found that solar cells made with graphene could offer up to !" percent solar cell efficiency # this is about four times the efficiency of the present commercially available solar cells. $raphene turns out also to be an e%cellent conductor of electricity& even better than copper. This is leading to the development of many applications in the electronics industry. Paper thin computers and televisions are presently under development based on this 'miracle substance(. Indeed South )orean researchers have created a *+inch fle%ible touch,screen using graphene. Tomorrow your daily newspaper may be made of it too& which may be instantly updated by pressing a tab on the side. -arold - )ung at the .cCormic/ School of 0ngineering and 1pplied Science at 2orthwestern 3niversity has reported a method to e%tend the battery life of lithium ion batteries by 4" times using a grapheme,based anode. 1 considerable effort is being directed at developing better batteries and other energy storage systems. 0%isting batteries often fail because of the damage caused to the electrodes in them over a period of time by the movement of ions. 1 new electrode (made from nano,particles of copper he%acyanoferrate has been developed by Stanford researchers and uses nanotechnology to construct an open structure for the electrode. This permits ions to move in and out without damaging it. The electrode seems to be a wonder material for use as a high,voltage cathode. 2ovel ways are also being developed to utilise wind energy. In many parts of the world we find large windmills& each with three huge blades generating electricity. These wind turbines are not very efficient since about half the air does not go through the blades but around them& with a resulting loss in their capacity to generate electricity. Flo5esign& a 3S based company& has now developed a new generation of wind turbines that rely on the design used in 6et engines. These turbines have propeller blades that are much smaller but produce more electricity as the air is directed through the turbine by a surrounding shroud. Small turbines that will produce 4" /ilowatt power will be initially manufactured and they will then be followed by megawatt capacity turbines. 1 problem associated with micro wind turbines is that they must wor/ well in both light and high winds& for instance under stormy conditions when they should not spin too fast. In the case of the larger wind turbines& the design of the blades ta/es care of this problem& ma/ing them stall under very high speed wind. This is done through sensors that send signals to attached computers which in turn ad6ust the turbine speeds. This is too e%pensive a solution. -owever& nature is often the best teacher. The stability of dragonflies even under high wind conditions provided critically important clues. The dragonfly is very stable in its flight& even under high wind speeds. This is due to the special design of its wings which are thin and fle%ible& and have small protrusions on their surfaces. These protrusions create a number of swirling vortices that contribute to

the e%traordinary aerodynamic stability of the dragonfly. 7ased on this& the 1/ira Obata of 2ippon 7unri 3niversity in 8apan has invented a micro turbine which is far better than those available previously. Pa/istan needs to concentrate on solving its energy problems by utilising its e%isting resources of coal& water& wind& and the recently discovered shale oil and shale gas. 1 reader has rightly pointed out that all the electrical appliances produced in Pa/istan are 'energy inefficient(. For e%ample our fans& tube,well motors and roadside wor/shop machines use heavy starting current and also consume much more electricity than 1merican& 0uropean& or even Chinese appliances. 9hen one considers the millions of fans& tube,well motors and road side wor/shop motors in the country& one gets some idea of how much energy is being wasted because of the improper enforcement of :uality standards& particularly those relating to energy efficiency& in those industries that manufacture such motors and appliances. Similarly most of our vehicles& especially locally manufactured bodies of truc/s and buses& are energy inefficient. Concluded The writer is the president of the Pa/istan 1cademy of Sciences and former chairman of the -0C. 0mail; ibne<sina=hotmail.com