Archive for the 'Energy' Category
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 […]
Department of Energy: Warning Messages for Future Humans to Avoid Radioactive Waste Dumps
June 7th, 2016Wikipedia: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: For the case of the WIPP, the markers, called “passive institutional controls”, will include an outer perimeter of thirty-two 25-foot (7.6 m)-tall granite pillars built in a four-mile (6 km) square. These pillars will surround an earthen wall, 33 feet (10 m) tall and 100 feet (30 m) wide. Enclosed […]
No, Norway Isn’t Banning Diesel and Petrol Cars – Yet
June 6th, 2016Via: TheLocal: A report that Norwegian politicians agreed to ban the sale of diesel and petrol-powered cars by 2025 quickly flew around the world, but it is “not correct”. At least not yet.
The Untold Story Behind Saudi Arabia’s 41-Year U.S. Debt Secret
May 31st, 2016Via: Bloomberg: The basic framework was strikingly simple. The U.S. would buy oil from Saudi Arabia and provide the kingdom military aid and equipment. In return, the Saudis would plow billions of their petrodollar revenue back into Treasuries and finance America’s spending. It took several discreet follow-up meetings to iron out all the details, Parsky […]
Rumor: After Dieselgate Disaster, VW Planning Big Move to Electric Vehicles
May 30th, 2016Via: Quartz: VW is in trouble. Its multi-year deception to hoodwink US environmental laws is costing it billions of dollars, in addition to inestimable public good will. Worse, the scandal has threatened the company’s future. Until last year the maker of the world’s best-selling cars, VW has had to pivot away from its long-term strategic […]
MIT: Gravity Assisted Flow Battery
May 27th, 2016Definitely not coming soon, but very interesting. Via: MIT News: A new approach to the design of a liquid battery, using a passive, gravity-fed arrangement similar to an old-fashioned hourglass, could offer great advantages due to the system’s low cost and the simplicity of its design and operation, says a team of MIT researchers who […]
The Fusioneers
May 26th, 2016Via: Washington Post: At first glance, the outbuilding attached to Richard Hull’s Richmond home looks like any lean-to built by a retiree with time on his hands: a slap-dash affair with wood that appears salvaged from home projects gone wrong. But instead of storing a lawnmower and old paint cans, the shed holds a monstrous […]
Trump Outlines ‘America First’ Energy Plan: Coal, Oil, Gas
May 26th, 2016Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Ok. Well. Here we go. Solar and wind are already cheaper in some markets than coal and they are just getting started. Even in a place like New Zealand, with maximum hostility toward solar, the number of installations keep doubling. The same sort of doubling […]
Apple Explores Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
May 25th, 2016Via: Reuters: Apple Inc is investigating how to charge electric cars, talking to charging station companies and hiring engineers with expertise in the area, according to people familiar with the matter and a review of LinkedIn profiles. For more than a year, Silicon Valley has been buzzing about Apple’s plan to build an electric car. […]
Portugal Runs on Wind, Solar and Hydro-Generated Electricity Alone for Four Days
May 19th, 2016Via: Guardian: Portugal kept its lights on with renewable energy alone for four consecutive days last week in a clean energy milestone revealed by data analysis of national energy network figures. Electricity consumption in the country was fully covered by solar, wind and hydro power in an extraordinary 107-hour run that lasted from 6.45am on […]
