A wave power plant inaugurated off the shores of Povoa de Varzim, Portugal, on 23 September 2008. The project uses floating tubes, whose bobbing motion pumps hydraulic fluid to drive generators, are moored to the seabed three miles off Portugal's northern coast, generating a total of 2.25 megawatts, enough to supply 1,500 households with electricity.  EPA/JOAO ABREU MIRANDA  © 2008

A single house is left standing on the waterfront near Gilchrist, Texas, USA on 14 September 2008 following the destruction along the Texas coast. As Hurricane Ike slowed to a tropical depression after carving a path of destruction through Texas, rescuers were using everything from dump trucks to boats and helicopters to reach stranded residents. The victims, many of whom had ignored mandatory evacuation orders, were trapped on rooftops or amid debris in unstable houses without electricity or clean water.  EPA/SMILEY N. POOL/ POOL

European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) scientists control computer screens showing traces on Atlas experiment of the first protons injected in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) during its switch on operation at the Cern's press center on September 10, 2008 near Geneva, Switzerland. Scientists fired a first beam of protons around a 27-kilometer tunnel housing the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

They hope to recreate conditions just after the so-called Big Bang. The international group of scientists plan to smash particles together to create, on a small-scale, re-enactments of the Big Bang. (KEYSTONE/AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI/POOL)

A view of the inside of South Korea's indigenous fusion energy test bed, the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), with which the National Fusion Research Institute in Daejeon succeeded in creating plasma for the first time, Daejon, South Korea, 15 July 2008.  EPA/STR

Picture made available on 04 June 2008 shows a grab and a bulldozer work to clear the algae off the sea in Qingdao in east China's Shandong province, 01 July 2008.  China has mobilized thousands of workers and soldiers to clean up an algae bloom, threatening Olympic sailing events in Qingdao.  EPA/JOHN WONG

The recreation of the ancient Greek ship Argo, the vessel used by Jason and his Argonauts on the quest for the 'golden fleece' sails in the canal of Korinthos, some 83 km west of Athens on 2 July 2008. The 50-oar vesssel crewed from all 27 European Union member countries is going to sail to Venice .  EPA/VASSILIS PSOMAS

The remote-controlled robot 'TeleMAX' of the German company 'Telerob' is pictured during the 3rd European Performance Review Robotics (ELROB) in Hammelburg, Germany, 30 June 2008. Companies, Universities and institutes from all over Europe will present their robots at the exhibition which is hosted by the German armed forces till 03 July 2008.  EPA/DANIEL KARMANN

Sand being collected in country boats from the Kulsi River about 30km away from Guwahati city, northeast India, 19 June 2008. With the booming construction industry in Guwahati city, sand mining is increasing day by day in this river. The Kulsi river of Assam has long been the home of a high concentration of river Dolphins (Platanista gangetica) and locally known as Xihu. Due to large scale silt deposition and subsequent sand-mining in the Kulsi River their habitat has been damaged leading to a decrease in numbers.  EPA/STR

An over view of Cachet 2 lake, about 1,700 kilometers south of Santiago, in the east of North Ice Camp, Chile 17 June 2008. The lake lost about 200.000 million liters of water due to the high temperatures from 6-7 April 2008. The water leaked through an eight kilometers tunnel but now it has started to fill back in.  EPA/Water General Direction-Coyhaique

Prototype of the first ever Hungarian hybrid vehicle called Solo is on display at the Museum of Transport in Budapest, Hungary 16 June, 2008. The three-seats, 3.12-meter long and 1.92-meter wide environmentally friendly vehicle powered by gas and li-ion batteries is designed and built by ANTRO company based in Oeriszentpeter, Hungary.

The ecological gas-electric vehicel can reach 140km/hours top speed and is expected to go on sale in 2012. EPA/BARNABAS HONECZY