Energy

Geoengineering Less Sunshine- An Approach To Global Warming

Cutting carbon dioxide emissions is not easy; it requires a buy-in from developing nations who have coal and want a better life also, or a greater implementation of natural gas. One alternative idea is to transport materials into the stratosphere to reduc ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 30 2012 - 8:00pm

Natural Gas Declared Unnatural, But Fracking Fuels Global Gas Conversation

Hydraulic fracturing technology, called fracking, has been around since the 1940s but has recently gained attention as the energy industry expanded cleaner natural gas production. The inaugural Energy Census from business intelligence company Polecat says ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 6 2012 - 11:43am

Black Silicon Solar Cells Can Absorb Infrared Spectrum And Now Are A Whole Lot More Efficient

Solar cells can convert up to three-quarters of the energy contained in the Sun‘s spectrum into electricity, yet the infrared spectrum is entirely lost in standard solar cells. Around a quarter of the Sun’s spectrum is made up of infrared radiation which c ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 10 2012 - 8:30am

Fusion In A Coffee Mug

Fusion is the super-clean energy we would be thinking about if government-controlled energy science were about the best long-term solutions and not political pet projects- alas, its share of the $72 billion spent on alternate energy the last three years is ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Oct 15 2012 - 5:54pm

Food Or Fuel Crops? Defining Surplus Land Will Help

Which is the better use for a plot of land: growing crops to feed nations or growing crops to power them with biofuel? The answer to this question is, perhaps not surprisingly, complex and turns on the definition of “surplus” land, or idle, marginal space ...

Article - Rachel Nuwer - Oct 23 2012 - 3:20pm

Biofoambark: Green Insulation Made Of Eco-Friendly Foam

Professor Marie-Pierre Laborie of the University of Freiburg and professors  Antonio Pizzi and Alain Celzard from the French Université de Lorraine bagged almost $20,000 in prize money and the distinction of being a "German High Tech Champion" fo ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2012 - 4:00am

Next Generation Rechargeable Lithium Batteries Coming?

Researchers say their refinements in silicon-based lithium-ion technology could lead to a high-capacity, long-lived and low-cost anode material for next-generation rechargeable lithium batteries.  ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 3 2012 - 10:53am

If Climate Change Is Really Important, Let's Have An Adult Talk About Nuclear Power

Climate change was ignored for all but the last week of the American presidential election. Then, a hurricane hit and it mobilized voters who were otherwise disappointed that neither party cared about science or the climate.  Yet it's hard to have a r ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Aug 13 2014 - 11:09am

Is Subsidized Solar Power A Bargain For New Jersey And Pennsylvania?

Energy companies in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are required to buy some solar power each year.  They are required to overpay for that solar power. In return for overpaying, they get Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) which let them  pass the extr ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Nov 12 2012 - 10:24pm

Storing Solar Energy As Hydrogen Using Rust And Water

One big knock on solar energy is that it is inconsistent; it doesn't work at night or on cloudy days and storing it in batteries takes away the cost effectiveness. But a new technology is in development that can transform that light energy into a stor ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 11 2012 - 6:57pm