Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Breakthrough Solar Cell Captures CO2 and Sunlight, Produces Burnable Fuel
July 30th, 2016I’ve posted lots stories about similar technologies and the main problems are, very low yields, scalability, short lived and/or expensive catalysts. But who knows? Maybe it will become viable before the Mr. Fusion. Via: University of Illinois: Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have engineered a potentially game-changing solar cell that cheaply and […]
Mercedes-Benz shows Off the First Fully Electric Heavy Urban Transport Truck
July 27th, 2016Production is still many years away. Via: TechCrunch: Daimler isn’t about to let Tesla own any more ‘firsts’ in electric transportation; the German company revealed the Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck today in Stuttgart, an all-electric truck with a total admissible weight capacity of 26 tonnes (29 U.S. tons), which makes it the first clean energy big […]
Tesla: Master Plan, Part Deux
July 20th, 2016Musk’s hopes and dreams may or may not happen, but I enjoyed reading this anyway. While some people out there seem to have full time jobs bashing Tesla, I think of Musk as a hero. There would be virtually no movement toward mass adoption of electric vehicles if it wasn’t for Tesla. Now, the whole […]
Photographer Sneaks Into Fukushima Exclusion Zone
July 13th, 2016Via: Daily Mail: More than five years after the devastating tsunami and the 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck north-eastern Japan, causing the explosion of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the Japanese town remains abandoned. Since April 22, 2011, an area within 20km (12.4miles) radius of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant has been cordoned off from the […]
Hague Rules Against Beijing on South China Sea Claims
July 12th, 2016…China throws toys. Via: Guardian: China has lost a key international legal case over strategic reefs and atolls that it claims would give it control over disputed waters of the South China Sea. The judgment by an international tribunal in The Hague is overwhelmingly in favour of claims by the Philippines and will increase global […]
Doctors Issue Warning About LED Streetlights
June 22nd, 2016Why not just use warmer LEDs? I don’t know about higher output units, but I’ve replaced all of my bulbs with 10 watt LEDs that are 2700k and they’re great. They cost only NZ$9.99 each. Are high output/warm LED units more expensive than cool ones? I’ve seen some of these cool spectrum LED street lamps […]
Tesla Offers $2.8 Billion for SolarCity
June 22nd, 2016Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in NZ. — Via: Reuters: Elon Musk on Tuesday sought to build a clean energy powerhouse as his electric car maker, Tesla Motors Inc, made an offer to buy his solar installation firm SolarCity Corp in a stock deal worth as much as $2.8 billion. Tesla shares plunged more […]
U.S. Orders Drones with Radiation Detectors Designed for Nuclear Emergencies
June 19th, 2016Via: Las Vegas Review Journal: Nuclear emergency responders are being trained to fly the drones and assess radioactive plumes under such scenarios as what occurred in the earthquake-triggered reactor meltdowns during the 2011 disaster at Fukushima, Japan.
NASA Unveils Plans for Electric-Powered Plane
June 17th, 2016Via: New York Times: A new experimental airplane being built by NASA could help push electric-powered aviation from a technical curiosity and pipe dream into something that might become commercially viable for small aircraft. At a conference on Friday of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Washington, Charles F. Bolden Jr., the NASA […]
San Antonio Man Patents Stirling Engine Range Extender for Electric Cars
June 15th, 2016My guess is that this is the last time we’ll hear about it. Via: KHOU: We’ve heard rumors for years about engines capable of getting 100 miles to a gallon of fuel, but the reality is much closer than you might think. Josh “Mac” MacDowell says he not only has the engine, he has come […]
