Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Cheaper Thermoelectric Material to Hit Market Later This Year
July 17th, 2014Via: MIT Technology Review: California-based Alphabet Energy plans to begin selling a new type of material that can turn heat into electricity. Unlike previous thermoelectrics, as such materials are known, it is abundant, cheap, and nontoxic. Thermoelectric materials can turn a temperature difference into electricity by exploiting the flow of electrons from a warmer area […]
Can’t Beat Them? Grow Lettuce: In Japan, Idled Electronics Factories Find New Life in Farming
July 7th, 2014Via: Wall Street Journal: Haruyasu Miyabe used to oversee a computer-chip production line at a Fujitsu Ltd. plant here. One day last year, the plant manager told Mr. Miyabe to prepare for a career change. “Starting tomorrow, you are going to make lettuce,” he recalls being told. Amid troubled times in the Japanese electronics industry, […]
Shale: U.S. Surpasses Saudi Arabia as Largest Oil Producer in the World
July 4th, 2014Via: Bloomberg: The U.S. will remain the world’s biggest oil producer this year after overtaking Saudi Arabia and Russia as extraction of energy from shale rock spurs the nation’s economic recovery, Bank of America Corp. said. U.S. production of crude oil, along with liquids separated from natural gas, surpassed all other countries this year with […]
Dean Kamen’s Stirling Engine
July 2nd, 2014Via: Forbes: Kamen’s contribution has been in engineering his Stirling with the most high-performance materials. He started off using skilled welders to put together key parts of the engine made out of exotic alloys. More recently he’s figured out how make those pieces with even more precision using 3-D printing. Crane says a key element […]
Robot Truck Convoy Tested In Nevada
June 25th, 2014A human steers, but drafting is automated. Via: Popular Science: Like Olympic skiers racing in single file to reduce air resistance, two 18-wheeler trucks in Nevada recently proved that uncomfortably close convoys can save drivers fuel and money. The key, instead of bold Olympic athleticism, is robotic assistance. A computer-assisted truck was able to follow […]
Pennsylvania Ordered Its Health Workers to Never Discuss Fracking
June 25th, 2014Via: Grist: In the heavily fracked Keystone State, the economic interests of frackers trump the health concerns of residents. That much is abundantly clear in the wake of an extraordinary story by StateImpact Pennsylvania, which interviewed two retired state health department workers. The former workers say they were ordered to not return the phone calls […]
New Zealand: Peria School’s New Solar Power System
June 24th, 2014Update: The Story Was Finally Broadcast on Television Show Seven Sharp This finally aired on a show called Seven Sharp on 27 June 2014. Fast forward to about the 15 minute mark. — Here’s a little slice of life from rural Northland New Zealand, for anyone who’s interested. Yesterday, I went along to Peria School […]
Iraq Loses Control of Syrian, Jordanian Borders
June 23rd, 2014Via: Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Iraq’s prime minister in Baghdad on Monday to push for more inclusive leadership, as Nuri al-Maliki’s forces abandoned the border with Jordan, leaving the entire Western frontier beyond government control. Sunni tribes took the Turaibil desert border crossing, the only legal crossing point between Iraq and […]
5KW Grid-Tie Solar Power System
June 23rd, 2014Update and Correction, 30 June 2014 The Q-Cells and SMA special mentioned in this post is now over. All of those systems have sold out. Also, Solar King operates in the North Island and the top of the South Island (Nelson). — We pay NZ$47.7 cents (including GST) per kilowatt hour for electricity. That’s robbery. […]
Harley-Davidson Refining Electric Motorcycle Design
June 19th, 2014Via: AP: Harley-Davidson will unveil its first electric motorcycle next week, and President Matt Levatich said he expects the company known for its big touring bikes and iconic brand to become a leader in developing technology and standards for electric vehicles. Harley will show handmade demonstration models Monday at an invitation-only event in New York. […]
