Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Why Did a Train Carrying Biofuel Cross the Border 24 Times and Never Unload?
January 3rd, 2013Via: Oil Price: This enabled Bioversal to accumulate over 12 million RINs from the 24 trips, worth between 50 cents and $1 each, which they can then sell on to oil companies that haven’t met the EPA’s renewable fuel requirements. Research Credit: HPLovecraft666
Greeks Turn to the Forests for Fuel as Winter Nears
December 9th, 2012Via: Guardian: It is early Sunday. The sun has barely risen above the chestnut forest that lies somewhere near the crest of Mount Pelion, but loggers’ pick-up trucks are already streaming through the muddy slush, their cargo bouncing in the back. Theirs are rich pickings, much in demand as winter envelopes the villages and towns […]
Robot Completes World Record Pacific Crossing
December 6th, 2012Curious about the propulsion system? It harvests energy from the passing waves. Check this out: Via: Scientific American: Surviving stormy weather and a shark attack, the Wave Glider just entered the record books for the longest autonomous trip ever taken. On his first journey across the Pacific Ocean, Papa Mau was bitten by a shark, […]
DOE ‘Manhattan Project’ to Build New Energy Storage Technologies?
December 2nd, 2012There’s just one problem with this analogy. The Manhattan Project cost about $25.8 billion (in 2012 dollars). This DOE effort is $120 million over five years. That’s a noise level allocation of resources compared to The Manhattan Project. Of course, if you need a façade to role out stuff you’ve had sitting on the shelf […]
Australia: Man Questions Power Company Justifications for Rate Increases, Gets Threatening Letter from Law Firm
November 14th, 2012Via: Sydney Morning Herald: The thing that really irks Bruce Robertson is not just that the giant power companies are threatening to sue him but that their lawyers are demanding he pay for their costs. “It was a service I never requested,” quips Robertson, who has had to resort to black humour since the letter […]
Malaysia: ‘Smart Village’ Offers World Model for Rural Poverty Relief
November 13th, 2012I was intrigued by their food production methods. They make extensive use of Autopot hydroponic systems. This looks very impressive. Via: Press Release – Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology: An innovative, high-tech “smart village” built in Malaysia provides a potential global template for addressing rural poverty in a sustainable environment, say international experts meeting […]
Fault Under Japan Nuclear Plant May be Active
November 11th, 2012Via: AFP: Japan’s only working nuclear power plant sits on what may be a seismic fault in the earth’s crust, a geologist has warned, saying it is “very silly” to allow it to continue operating. Mitsuhisa Watanabe says the earth’s plates could move underneath the Oi nuclear plant in western Japan, causing a catastrophe to […]
Germany Ships More Power Abroad Despite Nuclear Plant Closures
November 10th, 2012Update: Germany Powers France in Cold Despite Nuclear U-Turn Somebody somewhere sent this in. It’s from February. Via: Reuters: Germany came to the rescue of France during last week’s cold snap by massively exporting electricity to its neighbour, silencing critics who slammed Berlin last year for abruptly shutting down 8 nuclear reactors after the Fukushima […]
Odd-Even Gas Rationing System Coming To New York City, Long Island
November 9th, 2012Via: CBS: New York City and Long Island are following in New Jersey’s footsteps in instituting an odd-even gas rationing system. In an effort to ease long lines associated with the the fuel crunch taking place in New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a rationing system will go into effect on Friday. Beginning at […]
Solar Panel Breaks ‘Third of a Sun’ Efficiency Barrier
November 6th, 2012Via: Gizmag: Embattled photovoltaic solar power manufacturer Amonix announced on Tuesday that it has broken the solar module efficiency record, becoming the first manufacturer to convert more than a third of incoming light energy into electricity – a goal once branded “one third of a sun” in a Department of Energy initiative. The Amonix module […]
