Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Nanoparticles Used to Boost Hydrogen Production
February 28th, 2008Not holding my breath on this one, but I’ll keep an eye on it anyway. Via: eeTimes: The hydrogen economy is getting a shot in the arm from a start-up that says its nanoparticle coatings could make hydrogen easy to produce at home from distilled water, and ultimately bring the cost of hydrogen fuel cells […]
Loss of Wind Causes Texas Power Grid Emergency
February 28th, 2008In other words, this is the second major anomalous power outage in less than a day. (See: South Florida incident.) Via: Reuters: A drop in wind generation late on Tuesday, coupled with colder weather, triggered an electric emergency that caused the Texas grid operator to cut service to some large customers, the grid agency said […]
Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion
February 25th, 2008This is a similar concept to what these Alaskans have done. If you have a big temperature differential, there’s potential for electricity generation (even if the overall conversion efficiency is very low). Via: Telegraph: The French inventor Georges Claude is largely forgotten today; if he is remembered at all, it is as the creator of […]
1973: Souped Down 1959 Opel T-1 Got 376.59 Miles Per Gallon
February 25th, 2008If a more practical car was, say, 75% less efficient than the car below, it would get 94.15 miles per gallon. But, hey, this is 2008, what do you expect!? Via: Treehugger: Could you believe that the car above made the 1975 Guiness World Record book? Its claim to fame is getting an amazing 376.59 […]
Oil Giants Are Poised to Move Into Basra
February 25th, 2008Democracy. Via: Guardian: Western oil giants are poised to enter southern Iraq to tap the country’s vast reserves, despite the ongoing threat of violence, according to Gordon Brown’s business emissary to the country. Michael Wareing, who heads the new Basra Development Commission, acknowledged that there would be concerns among Iraqis about multinationals exploiting natural resources. […]
Canada: Apocalyptic Oil Sand Operations
February 25th, 2008As bad as this seems, it’s just a preview of things to come. I could be wrong, but my guess is that asymmetric operations against the energy companies—inside G8 states—will begin if the insane decision is made to go with nuclear power to provide the heat necessary to recover the oil from these deposits. There […]
U.S. Department of Energy and Partners Test Enhanced Geothermal Systems Technologies
February 24th, 2008Hmm. DOE is allocating a whopping $1.6 million to this project. (Sarcasm.) The cost of that crashed B-2 boondoggle bomber represents the funding equivalent of doing the geothermal research described below 750 times over. Oh well, as oil production declines, there will still lots of it to be sold at over $100 per barrel. In […]
New World Record for Solar-to-Grid Conversion Efficiency
February 23rd, 2008Vis: PhysOrg: On a perfect New Mexico winter day — with the sky almost 10 percent brighter than usual — Sandia National Laboratories and Stirling Energy Systems (SES) set a new solar-to-grid system conversion efficiency record by achieving a 31.25 percent net efficiency rate. The old 1984 record of 29.4 percent was toppled Jan. 31 […]
Arizona: 280-MW Solar Plant to Use Molten Salt for Energy Storage
February 22nd, 2008Via: PESN: Abengoa’s plant in Arizona will cover a surface of around 1,900 acres — nearly three square miles — and will run two 140-megawatt steam generators for a total capacity of 280 MW. … The Solana generating station will use Abengoa Solar’s concentrating solar power (CSP) trough technology, which entails long rows of mirrors […]
Lamp Lit by Gravity Wins Greener Gadget Award
February 20th, 2008UPDATE: This lamp can’t work as described. Inventor admits it. Via: Pure Energy Systems: A Virginia Tech student has created a floor lamp powered by gravity. Clay Moulton of Springfield, Va., who received his Master of Science in Architecture with a concentration in industrial design from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies in 2007, […]
