Graphene turns out also to be an excellent 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 flexible touch#screen using graphene. Tomorro$ your daily ne$spaper may be made of it too, $hich may be instantly updated by pressing a tab on the side. %arold % ung at the &c'ormic( School of )ngineering and *pplied Science at +orth$estern ,niversity has reported a method to extend the battery life of lithium ion batteries by -. times using a grapheme#based anode. * considerable effort is being directed at developing better batteries and other energy storage systems. )xisting batteries often fail because of the damage caused to the electrodes in them over a period of time by the movement of ions. * ne$ electrode /made from nano#particles of copper hexacyanoferrate0 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 $ithout damaging it. The electrode seems to be a $onder material for use as a high#voltage cathode. +ovel $ays are also being developed to utilise $ind energy. In many parts of the $orld $e find large $indmills, each $ith three huge blades generating electricity. These $ind turbines are not very efficient since about half the air does not go through the blades but around them, $ith a resulting loss in their capacity to generate electricity. 1lo2esign, a ,S based company, has no$ developed a ne$ generation of $ind turbines that rely on the design used in 3et 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 $ill produce -. (ilo$att po$er $ill be initially manufactured and they $ill then be follo$ed by mega$att capacity turbines. * problem associated $ith micro $ind turbines is that they must $or( $ell in both light and high $inds, for instance under stormy conditions $hen they should not spin too fast. In the case of the larger $ind turbines, the design of the blades ta(es care of this problem, ma(ing them stall under very high speed $ind. This is done through sensors that send signals to attached computers $hich in turn ad3ust the turbine speeds. This is too expensive a solution. %o$ever, nature is often the best teacher. The stability of dragonflies even under high $ind conditions provided critically important clues. The dragonfly is very stable in its flight, even under high $ind speeds. This is due to the special design of its $ings $hich are thin and flexible, and have small protrusions on their surfaces. These protrusions create a number of s$irling vortices that contribute to the extraordinary aerodynamic stability of the dragonfly. 4ased on this, the *(ira 5bata of +ippon 4unri ,niversity in 6apan has invented a micro turbine $hich is far better than those available previously.

Pa(istan needs to concentrate on solving its energy problems by utilising its existing resources of coal, $ater, $ind, and the recently discovered shale oil and shale gas. * reader has rightly pointed out that all the electrical appliances produced in Pa(istan are energy inefficient. 1or example our fans, tube#$ell motors and roadside $or(shop machines use heavy starting current and also consume much more electricity than *merican, )uropean, or even 'hinese appliances. 7hen one considers the millions of fans, tube#$ell motors and road side $or(shop motors in the country, one gets some idea of ho$ much energy is being $asted because of the improper enforcement of 8uality 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. 'oncluded The $riter is the president of the Pa(istan *cademy of Sciences and former chairman of the %)'. )mail9 ibne:sina;hotmail.com