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A New Era in Space
In the lead-up to the launch of the last space shuttle, "Atlantis", I've been seeing a number of articles on the general theme of an era ending. This week's Economist went so far as to suggest it marks the "End of the Space Age." I sincerely hope they are wrong, and not just because I have followed the US space program avidly since... [read more]
Tapping Salt Water's Energy Potential
It's rare to run across a novel form of renewable energy that hasn't already been touted as the Next Big Thing and the potential savior of humanity. Work on harnessing salinity gradient power, one aspect of which is also known as "osmotic power", has proceeded in relative obscurity, with only one demonstration-scale installation that I'm... [read more]
Green Energy Competitiveness
As I was catching up on recent op-eds in the New York Times, I was intrigued by one with the snappy title, "Red China, Green China." As the author, an "executive in residence at Columbia Business School," built his case for why the US is falling behind China in clean energy technology, I was hopeful that he'd offer some sensible... [read more]
Wind Turbines Shed Their Gears
Technology Review has an article on GE and Siemens adopting direct drive wind turbines - Wind Turbines Shed Their Gears. Wind turbine manufacturers are turning away from the industry-standard gearboxes and generators in a bid to boost the reliability and reduce the cost of wind power. Siemens, the world's largest turbine manufacturer... [read more]
3 Green Technologies That Will Change the World
Technology Review, an MIT publication, just released its annual list of 10 new technologies that will someday change the world. The list includes everything from 3-D smart phone screens to social television to electronic medical implants. Three green innovations, including two solar power applications, made it onto the 2010 TR10... [read more]
Light-Trapping Photovoltaics
Technology Review has a look at the use of nanoparticles to improve solar power performance - TR10: Light-Trapping Photovoltaics. In 1995, finishing her undergraduate degree in physics, Kylie Catchpole decided to take a risk on a field that was nearly moribund: photovoltaics. "There was a sense that I might have difficulty ever... [read more]
Natural Gas Worse for the Planet than Coal ?
Technology Review has a post looking at a "preliminary analysis [which] suggests that natural gas could contribute far more to global warming than previously thought" - Natural Gas May Be Worse for the Planet than Coal. This week the U.S. Congress heard testimony supporting a bill that would push to replace diesel with natural gas in... [read more]
Solar Shingles See the Light of Day
Technology Review has an article on Dow's easy to install solar roof shingles - Solar Shingles See the Light of Day. Dow Chemical is moving full speed ahead to develop roof shingles embedded with photovoltaic cells. To facilitate the move, the U.S. Department of Energy has backed Dow's efforts with a $17.8 million tax credit that will... [read more]
Tesla to Use High-Energy Batteries from Panasonic
Technology Review reports that Tesla are partnering with Panasonic to supply long life lithium ion batteries - Tesla to Use High-Energy Batteries from Panasonic. Tesla Motors, the maker of high-performance electric vehicles, is working with Panasonic, the battery and consumer electronics giant, to develop its next generation of... [read more]
Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics produce competitive results
PhysOrg has an article on "glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used" from Sandia Labs - Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics produce competitive results. Sandia lead investigator Greg Nielson said the research team has identified more than 20 benefits of scale for its... [read more]
The Real Costs of Cellulosic Ethanol
Technology review has a post on production costs for cellulosic ethanol made from corn cobs - The Real Costs of Cellulosic Ethanol.Ethanol giant POET says it can make ethanol from cellulosic sources--rather than the corn grain it's usually made from in the United States--for costs that are approaching that of corn grain ethanol. Last... [read more]
Why Dubai's Troubles Won't Hurt Masdar
Technology Review has a post outlining the case that Dubai's financial meltdown won't affect the Masdar project in the neighbouring emirate of Abu Dhabi - Why Dubai's Troubles Won't Hurt Masdar.Dubai, one of the emirates in the United Arab Emirates, has been all over the news lately because it announced that its investment arm, Dubai... [read more]
Nations cannot cover the globe in windmills
Nor most of west Texas for that matter Strong stuff is in this week from the staid OECD about nuclear energy and renewable energy. Also, Nuclear energy may be the solution to global warming, but someone has to pay for it writes Matt Wald, NYT reporter, in the December issue of MIT’s Technology Review * * * (via NucNet) Tackling... [read more]
Next Stop: Ultracapacitor Buses
Technology Review has an article on buses using fast (and frequent) recharging ultracapacitors for energy storage (using existing technology rather than heavily promoted but possibly mythical examples like EEstor's device) - Next Stop: Ultracapacitor Buses.Municipal transit agencies have tried to reduce the carbon footprint of their bus... [read more]
Is China Beating the U.S. in Clean Tech ?
Technology Review has an article on Chinese progress in the cleantech sector - Is China Beating the U.S. in Clean Tech?.China could beat the United States in a race to deploy clean energy technology that can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, said Frances Beinecke, leader of a leading environmental group, speaking this week at MIT. "I... [read more]
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Is Climate Change Bringing the Arctic to Europe? (637 views)
New Cuban Crisis Threatens Florida's Coasts (586 views)
International nuclear markets gain momentum (528 views)
Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »
Marc Gunther is a writer, speaker and consultant, who focuses on business and the environment. More »
Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »
Jesse Jenkins is the director of energy and climate policy at the Breakthrough Institute. More »
Robert Rapier works in the energy industry and writes and speaks about energy and the environment. More »
Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »
Dan Yurman is a nuclear energy blogger and writes regularly for Fuel Cycle Week. More »
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3rd Annual Utility Customer Experience Management Conference
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 08:00
Outage Delivery Optimisation Forum 2012
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 08:30
CSP Today South Africa 2012
When: Wed, 2012-02-08 09:00
Africa Energy Indaba
When: Tue, 2012-02-21 08:00
NERC CIP Compliance Training
When: Thu, 2012-02-23 08:00
2012 ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit
When: Mon, 2012-02-27 12:27
