Archive for the 'Energy' Category
35 Congressmen Move to Kill $122 Billion in Subsidies to Big Oil
October 21st, 2011Via: Tree Hugger: Who likes oil subsidies? Nobody! Nobody but the oil companies, that is. But as we know, these subsidies, which American taxpayers annually spend billions of dollars on, are extremely difficult to kill. But 35 US congressmen and women are going to try: They’ve just drafted a motion to the so-called ‘super committee’ […]
Japanese Communities Record Chernobyl-Level Radiation
October 20th, 2011Some of the Geiger counters shown in the video max out. Via: ABC Lateline: Seven months on from Japan’s nuclear meltdown, thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes around the Fukushima nuclear power plant. And for many of them, the terrible realisation is sinking in that they may never go back. […]
Organic Farming vs. Conventional Farming: Results of a 30 Year Study
October 17th, 2011Via: Rodale Institute: Organic yields match conventional yields. Organic outperforms conventional in years of drought. Organic farming systems build rather than deplete soil organic matter, making it a more sustainable system. Organic farming uses 45% less energy and is more efficient. Conventional systems produce 40% more greenhouse gases. Organic farming systems are more profitable than […]
115-Year-Old Electric Car Gets Same 40 Miles Per Charge as Chevy Volt
October 15th, 2011Via: Daily Caller: Meet the Roberts electric car. Built in 1896, it gets a solid 40 miles to the charge — exactly the mileage Chevrolet advertises for the Volt — the much-touted $31,645 electric car General Motors CEO Dan Akerson called “not a step forward, but a leap forward.” The executives at Chevrolet can rest […]
Elevated Radiation Reports in Tokyo
October 13th, 2011Via: Kyodo: High radiation doses were reported Thursday in spots in Tokyo and neighboring Chiba Prefecture, both over 200 kilometers away from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with their readings found to exceed current dose levels in some evacuation zones around the plant. Airborne radiation of up to 3.35 microsieverts per hour was recorded […]
With Ongoing Nuclear Disaster Hurting Tourism, Japan Will Offer 10,000 Foreigners Free Airfares to Visit the Country
October 11th, 2011Via: Telegraph: The Japan Tourism Agency plans to ask would-be travellers to submit online applications for the free flights, detailing which areas of the country they would like to visit, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. The agency will select the successful entrants and ask them to write a report about their trip which will be […]
Japan: Plutonium Discovered 28 Miles from Damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant
October 11th, 2011Via: Wall Street Journal: Trace amounts of plutonium were found as far as 28 miles from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power plant, the first time that the dangerous element released from the accident was found outside of the immediate area of the plant. The science ministry report issued Friday comes just as the government lifted […]
Japan: Food Radiation Checker
October 7th, 2011Send the bill to Tepco? *groan* Via: Cnet: For many Japanese, food safety is an urgent concern in light of the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, from which radiation has entered the food supply. Kyoto-based scientific equipment maker Horiba is trying to help with a radiation detector kit that can tell users […]
Japan to Remove Some Restrictions on Fukushima Evacuation Zone
October 4th, 2011Via: Bloomberg: Japan’s government may lift restrictions this week on some areas outside the exclusion zone around the crippled Fukushima nuclear where residents had been told to prepare for evacuation. The so-called Emergency Evacuation Preparation Zone was set up in April for areas 10 kilometers beyond the 20 kilometer (12.6 mile) no-go zone. The area […]
Sunlight Falling On Catalyst-Coated Silicon Wafer Splits Water Into Hydrogen and Oxygen
October 1st, 2011This is nowhere near viable, but it’s definitely interesting. Via: Massachusetts Institute of Technology / YouTube: An “artificial leaf” made by Daniel Nocera and his team, using a silicon solar cell with novel catalyst materials bonded to its two sides, is shown in a container of water with light (simulating sunlight) shining on it. The […]
