Energy

Direct Current: Photovoltaic DC Could Be The Next Big Thing

If you have traveled, you know that in some other countries the voltage used in homes and businesses are different than where you live. But not the type of electricity; all countries use alternating current. Yet a lot of appliances and devices then conver ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 5 2013 - 4:37pm

If There Were Lobbyists For Bats, There Would Be Fewer Wind Turbines

Outside the companies getting subsidy money from the government, not many people like wind turbines. ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 9 2013 - 12:46pm

Sustained Fusion Burn: Uniform Energy Spread Could Prevent Tokamak Disruptions

The sun uses fusion energy and everyone likes the idea of solar power but it requires a lot of infrastructure to translate that fusion energy to our usable kind. Fusion energy on Earth has been studied for decades, and it really isn't close, but if i ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 12 2013 - 6:10pm

Improving Density, Durability And Performance Of Lithium-ion Batteries

As portable electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones get more robust, consumers would like for batteries to keep pace. But rechargeable batteries-- Lithium-ion (Li-ion) being among the most popular- haven't done that. They are 25 year old t ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 19 2013 - 3:43pm

Invasive Plants As Biofuels Isn't Workable

Maybe you like to eat carp. Invasive Asian carp have been successfully harvested and served on a dinner plate but the idea of similarly harvesting invasive plants and converting them into ethanol isn't realistic yet- even less realistic than currentl ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 21 2013 - 8:46am

Thermionic Conversion And The Path To A New Thermoelectronic Generator

Thermionic conversion to heat energy, such as light from the sun or heat from burned fossil fuels, can mean very high efficiency, and because of its promise has been researched for over 50 years with little success. That may soon change, thanks to a new d ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 3 2013 - 11:50am

Loofahs Help Turns Waste Into Power With Bacteria

Loofahs, those exfoliating things for skin that men pretend they don't use in the shower, may be a new potential tool to advance sustainability efforts of both energy and waste, according to a paper in the journal Environmental Science&Technology ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 4 2013 - 12:26pm

Toxicity And Explosive Gases: The Little Discussed Risk Of Higher Ethanol Blends

Like most government spending programs, once environmental lobbyists got their way and renewable ethanol biofuels became mandated and subsidized, they have been difficult to eliminate. Perhaps the news that blending more ethanol into fuel to supposedly cu ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 27 2013 - 2:25pm

Natural Gas Is Better For Global Warming And Saves Water Too

Texas, the U.S. state that annually generates the most electricity, has transitioned from coal to natural gas for electricity generation and that has not only reduced CO2 emissions but is saving water and making the state less vulnerable to drought. ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 20 2013 - 6:31am

Global Warming Did Not Cause Methane Hydrates To Erupt Into Gas Flares

Methane hydrates are ice-like solid fuel composed of water and methane. And they are fragile.  In some areas, such as in the North Atlantic off the coast of Svalbard, scientists have detected gas flares regularly and the reasons for their occurrence were ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 2 2014 - 4:26pm