Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Rice University Team Uses Carbon Nanotube Films to Increase Solar Cell Efficiency
August 9th, 2019Via: Rice University: Rice University scientists are designing arrays of aligned single-wall carbon nanotubes to channel mid-infrared radiation (aka heat) and greatly raise the efficiency of solar energy systems. … Naik said adding the emitters to standard solar cells could boost their efficiency from the current peak of about 22%. “By squeezing all the wasted […]
Power Restored After Tens of Millions Hit by Indonesia Power Blackout
August 4th, 2019Via: AFP: Power was mostly restored in Jakarta and Indonesia’s heavily populated Java island after a widespread electricity outage Sunday that the state utility PLN blamed on disruptions at several power plants. Tens of millions of people were affected by the blackout which plunged buildings in the sprawling capital — home to about 30 million […]
California Farmers Are Planting Solar Panels as Water Supplies Dry Up
August 2nd, 2019In Blade Runner 2049, the California Central Valley looks like this: (In case you’re wondering, the solar concentrators in the opening scene of the film were inspired by the idiotic Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, which is based on concentrated solar thermal energy.) Nestled in among the heliostat fields are protein farms: They grow some variety […]
Gigantic, Mysterious Radiation Leak Traced to Facility in Russia
July 29th, 2019Via: New Scientist: The source of a gigantic, mysterious leak of radioactive material that swept across Europe in 2017 has been traced to a Russian nuclear facility, which appears to have been preparing materials for experiments in Italy. The leak released up to 100 times the amount of radiation into the atmosphere that the Fukushima […]
Tesla Announces Megapack: Utility-Scale Energy Storage
July 29th, 2019Big guns. Via: Tesla: Less than two years ago, Tesla built and installed the world’s largest lithium-ion battery in Hornsdale, South Australia, using Tesla Powerpack batteries. Since then, the facility saved nearly $40 million in its first year alone and helped to stabilize and balance the region’s unreliable grid. Battery storage is transforming the global […]
“Iran Vows to Secure Strait of Hormuz”
July 24th, 2019It’s hard to know how much of the Iran situation is simply noise. The problem is that we can go from noise to a genuine crisis in the blink of an eye due to the tight geography of the Strait of Hormuz. How many warships can be packed in there before confusion or a false […]
Tesla: JB Straubel Is Leaving Executive Role, Moving to Advisory Role
July 24th, 2019Ouch. Shit. Not good. Via: Electrek: Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that JB Straubel, Tesla co-founder and longtime Chief Technology Officer, is leaving his executive role and moving to an advisory role. Musk made the announcement during the conference call following Tesla’s release of its Q2 2019 financial results. The CEO confirmed that Straubel is […]
Trump Tells Pentagon to Find Better Sources of Rare Earth Magnet
July 23rd, 2019Via: Reuters: U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told the Pentagon to find better ways to procure a rare earth magnet used in specialty motors, warning that the nation’s defense would suffer without adequate stockpiles. Attention is growing on rare earths, an obscure grouping of 17 minerals used to build weapons, consumer electronics and a […]
Lockheed: Practical Fusion Power Still 20 Years Away
July 20th, 2019— “$21 Trillion Dollars Is Missing from the U.S. Government” Via: The Drive: Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works is building a new, more capable test reactor as it continues to move ahead with its ambitious Compact Fusion Reactor program, or CFR. Despite slower than expected progress, the company remains confident the project can produce practical results, […]
Iran Seizes British-Flagged Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
July 19th, 2019Via: AFP: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Friday they had seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz for breaking “international maritime rules” as tensions mount in the highly sensitive waterway. Britain however said Iran had seized two ships in the Gulf, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warning of “serious consequences” if the issue was […]
