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Harold H Kung at the McCormick School of Engineering and pplied Science at !orthwestern "ni#ersity has reported a method to e$tend the battery life of lithium ion batteries by %& times using a grapheme'based anode. considerable effort is being directed at de#eloping better batteries and other energy storage systems. E$isting batteries often fail because of the damage caused to the electrodes in them o#er a period of time by the mo#ement of ions. new electrode (made from nano'particles of copper he$acyanoferrate) has been de#eloped by Stanford researchers and uses nanotechnology to construct an open structure for the electrode. This permits ions to mo#e in and out without damaging it. The electrode seems to be a wonder material for use as a high'#oltage cathode. !o#el ways are also being de#eloped to utilise wind energy. *n many parts of the world we find large windmills, each with three huge blades generating electricity. These wind turbines are not #ery efficient since about half the air does not go through the blades but around them, with a resulting loss in their capacity to generate electricity. +lo,esign, a "S based company, has now de#eloped a new generation of wind turbines that rely on the design used in -et engines. These turbines ha#e propeller blades that are much smaller but produce more electricity as the air is directed through the turbine by a surrounding shroud. Small turbines that will produce %& kilowatt power will be initially manufactured and they will then be followed by megawatt capacity turbines. problem associated with micro wind turbines is that they must work well in both light and high winds, for instance under stormy conditions when they should not spin too fast. *n the case of the larger wind turbines, the design of the blades takes care of this problem, making them stall under #ery high speed wind. This is done through sensors that send signals to attached computers which in turn ad-ust the turbine speeds. This is too e$pensi#e a solution. Howe#er, nature is often the best teacher. The stability of dragonflies e#en under high wind conditions pro#ided critically important clues. The dragonfly is #ery stable in its flight, e#en under high wind speeds. This is due to the special design of its wings which are thin and fle$ible, and ha#e small protrusions on their surfaces. These protrusions create a number of swirling #ortices that contribute to the e$traordinary aerodynamic stability of the dragonfly. .ased on this, the kira /bata of !ippon .unri "ni#ersity in 0apan has in#ented a micro turbine which is far better than those a#ailable pre#iously. 1akistan needs to concentrate on sol#ing its energy problems by utilising its e$isting resources of coal, water, wind, and the recently disco#ered shale oil and shale gas. reader has rightly pointed out that all the electrical appliances produced in 1akistan are 2energy inefficient3. +or e$ample our fans, tube'well motors and roadside workshop machines use hea#y starting current and also consume much more electricity than merican, European, or e#en Chinese appliances.

4hen one considers the millions of fans, tube'well motors and road side workshop motors in the country, one gets some idea of how much energy is being wasted because of the improper enforcement of 5uality standards, particularly those relating to energy efficiency, in those industries that manufacture such motors and appliances. Similarly most of our #ehicles, especially locally manufactured bodies of trucks and buses, are energy inefficient. Concluded The writer is the president of the 1akistan cademy of Sciences and former chairman of the HEC. Email6 ibne7sina8hotmail.com