Jun
18
Ready to Catch Some High Winds?
June 18, 2009 | 1 Comment
Several technologies have been proposed that hope to harnessing wind power from high altitudes. Two basic approaches have been proposed. The mechanical energy can be transmitted from high altitude to the Earth’s surface, where generators would produce the electricity at the ground or electricity could be generated aloft and transmitted to the surface using the [...]
Jun
17
A New -And Its Real- Nuclear Reactor
June 17, 2009 | 3 Comments
Babcock & Wilcox announced last week that it’s new subsidiary B&W Modular Nuclear Energy, LLC will be offering a new design that’s passively safe, scalable and modular using the old light water reactor method. That might not sound like a big deal, but in the face of the regulatory thresholds to cross, it’s a very [...]
Jun
16
Can Government Make a Disaster From Nothing at All?
June 16, 2009 | 2 Comments
IHS Global Insight of Massachusetts under a contract from the American Petroleum Institute has rolled out its report about the consequences of a Federal takeover of the regulations from states overseeing the oil and gas well finishing process called “hydraulic fracturing.” Before we start, hydraulic fracturing is packing water, some solvents, and strong sand and [...]
Jun
15
Battery Research Prospects Grow
June 15, 2009 | 8 Comments
The basic idea flowing through battery research is to get power reacting metals with oxygen from air. It’s commonly done now, for sale wherever zinc-air hearing aid batteries are sold. But lithium, now famed for its batteries in cell phones and laptops and carbon in solid form, plus zinc, aluminum, and magnesium are under study [...]
Jun
12
A Bite of Reality for Climate Science
June 12, 2009 | 3 Comments
Roger Pielke Sr. wrote on June 4th 2009 a short piece on how “climate science” papers, if there is such a reputable thing, are short circuiting the scientific method so causing falsehoods and a dangerous trend in science that deserves attention from taxpayers, grantors and others interested in good science, properly done, factually accurate and [...]
Jun
11
A New Way to Drill For Geothermal Energy
June 11, 2009 | 8 Comments
Potter Drilling has launched the next phase of research into their technique for drilling to hot rock for geothermal heat energy. With financial backing from Google getting the science past early work using air, Potter has crossed the development threshold to draw more funding. The new drilling technique that uses superheated steam instead of air [...]
Jun
10
Much Better Solar Photovoltaics On the Way
June 10, 2009 | 7 Comments
Startup Enphase Energy of Petaluma, CA, is now making its first micro-inverters. The small inverters can be bolted to the racking under each of an installation’s solar panel to convert DC power into AC for each panel individually. The company claims that the devices will increase a PV system’s efficiency by 5 to 25 percent [...]
Jun
9
Thorium – Sometimes It’s Who Notices That Matters
June 9, 2009 | 8 Comments
Let it be said here, again, if you really want the news as clear as the press ever gets it – read the Wall Street Journal. For thorium fans a minor breakthrough took place as Keith Johnson wrote an Environmental Capital piece late on June 5th 2009. That’s of note because more people who have [...]
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