Archive for the 'Energy' Category
Attacks on Just Nine Substations in U.S. Could Cause Blackout Across Entire Grid
January 11th, 2016Via: Information Week: Turns out free and publicly available information can be used to determine the most critical electric substations in the US, which if attacked, could result in a nationwide blackout. Remember that million-dollar Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) study in 2013 that found that attacks on just nine electric substations in the US […]
Oil Hits 11-Year Low
January 6th, 2016Via: Reuters: Oil prices hit their lowest in over 11 years on Wednesday, as the row between Saudi Arabia and Iran was seen making any cooperation between major exporters to cut output even more unlikely. Evidence of slowing economic growth in China and India has fueled fears that even strong demand elsewhere may not be […]
Portland’s New Pipes Harvest Power From Drinking Water
January 4th, 2016Via: Fast Coexist: If you live in Portland, your lights may now be partly powered by your drinking water. An ingenious new system captures energy as water flows through the city’s pipes, creating hydropower without the negative environmental effects of something like a dam. Small turbines in the pipes spin in the flowing water, and […]
Cheap Batteries Will Give Utilities Electric Shock
December 28th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — Via: Reuters: Power suppliers have long enjoyed a natural monopoly. But the arrival of budget batteries coupled with cheaper solar power will allow a growing number of consumers to pull the plug on old-fashioned electricity networks in 2016 and beyond. Solar panel prices have already […]
Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog
December 23rd, 2015Some of you might find this interesting: Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog About
Google Pairs With Ford To Build Self-Driving Cars
December 22nd, 2015Via: Yahoo Autos: Google and Ford will create a joint venture to build self-driving vehicles with Google’s technology, a huge step by both companies toward a new business of automated ride sharing, Yahoo Autos has learned. According to three sources familiar with the plans, the partnership is set to be announced by Ford at the […]
VW to Introduce All-Electric, Long-Range Microbus in 2017
December 22nd, 2015310 mile range! That’s going to be a huge and expensive battery. Awesome, though. Via: Adventure Journal: Can Volkswagen rebuild the trust that was lost over its emissions-cheating scandal? Time will tell. Maybe in the short term, distraction is good enough, and the new model that VW is set to reveal at the Consumer Electronics […]
LG Chem Quietly Surges in Battery Race
December 14th, 2015Via: Automotive News: Three years ago, LG Chem’s $303 million battery plant garnered unwanted attention when news reports revealed workers were watching movies and playing cards rather than building batteries. As the facility sat idle, LG Chem was shipping lithium ion batteries from South Korea to power General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt — an embarrassment since […]
Daimler Is Reusing Electric Vehicle Batteries to Store Renewable Energy
December 10th, 2015Via: Ars Technica: When electric vehicle batteries get long in the tooth, they have to be replaced because they’ll start experiencing power loss—which will mean reduced vehicle performance. But what happens to those old batteries after they’re replaced is important if you’re judging a car on how environmentally friendly it is. To this end, automaker […]
Zombies Appear in U.S. Oilfields as Crude Plumbs New Lows
December 10th, 2015Via: Reuters: Drained by a 17-month crude rout, some U.S. shale oil companies are merely hanging on for life as oil prices lurch further away from levels that allow them to profitably drill new wells and bring in enough cash to keep them in business. The slump has created dozens of oil and gas “zombies,” […]
