Archive for the 'Energy' Category
On Thursday, Wind Power Generated 140% of Denmark’s Electricity Demand
July 11th, 2015Via: Guardian: So much power was produced by Denmark’s windfarms on Thursday that the country was able to meet its domestic electricity demand and export power to Norway, Germany and Sweden. On an unusually windy day, Denmark found itself producing 116% of its national electricity needs from wind turbines yesterday evening. By 3am on Friday, […]
All-Electric Airbus E-Fan Aircraft Crosses the English Channel
July 10th, 2015Via: The Verge: This adorable little two-seater isn’t about to replace Airbus’ airliners, but the E-Fan — a light aircraft powered by lithium-ion batteries and two electric motors — just set a notable aviation milestone by crossing the English Channel. The 36-minute event took place earlier today, departing from Lydd, England and arriving in Calais, […]
Why the Saudis Are Going Solar
June 23rd, 2015Disclosures: I sell solar power systems in NZ. I’m long Enphase Energy. — Via: The Atlantic: Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud belongs to the family that rules Saudi Arabia. He wears a white thawb and ghutra, the traditional robe and headdress of Arab men, and he has a cavernous office hung with […]
The Way Humans Get Electricity Is About to Change Forever
June 23rd, 2015Disclosures: I sell solar power systems in NZ. I’m long Enphase Energy. — Via: Bloomberg: Solar Prices Keep Crashing The price of solar power will continue to fall, until it becomes the cheapest form of power in a rapidly expanding number of national markets. By 2026, utility-scale solar will be competitive for the majority of […]
New Lithium Ion Battery Process: “It’s So Far Out Of The Paradigm, You Just Don’t Believe It”
June 22nd, 2015Via: Quartz: Chiang and Wilder are about to embark on a third round of investment, seeking $20 million to $30 million. They would spend the money to scale up to production of a new machine that makes a cell every two to ten seconds. This machine, to be available for sale in two years, would […]
Scientists Build Toy Car Propelled by Evaporating Water
June 22nd, 2015The rotor version reminds me of nitinol, which uses a temperature differential instead of evaporation. Via: Guardian: Machines that harness the power of evaporating water have been created by scientists in the US. Researchers at Columbia University in New York have built a miniature car that draws on the process to propel itself along, as […]
GM, Nissan Will Offer Old Electric Car Battery Packs for Stationary Energy Storage
June 17th, 2015The aftermath of the Tesla Powerwall announcement has been pretty hilarious. Now everyone is coming out with stationary batteries for home and business use. However, nobody besides Tesla is willing to say how much their systems will cost. Via: MIT Technology Review: The Nissan Leaf went on sale in December 2010, which means that the […]
New Zealand: Electricity Cartel Might Double Transmission Costs for Far North, West Coast
June 16th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. — “Changes could come in by early 2018.” That’s nice. I wonder if the Tesla Powerwall will be on the second or third version by then. Via: Stuff: The prospect of power bills jumping 10 per cent in Northland and the West Coast and almost 5 […]
Tesla Doubles Powerwall Output Specifications Without Raising Prices
June 10th, 2015Disclosures: I sell solar power systems in NZ. I’m long Enphase Energy. — Panasonic, Mercedes, Enphase and Trina are also jumping in. Via: Electrek: Tesla Motors held its 2015 Annual Shareholders Meeting today at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. During his presentation, Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, announced that Tesla will be doubling the […]
U.S. Ousts Russia as World’s Top Oil, Gas Producer
June 10th, 2015Via: Bloomberg: The U.S. has taken Russia’s crown as the world’s biggest oil and natural-gas producer, illustrating the seismic shifts in the global energy landscape caused by America’s shale fields. U.S. oil production rose to an all-time high last year, gaining 1.6 million barrels a day, according to BP Plc’s Statistical Review of World Energy […]
