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The Latest on Energy Action
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News and Essays -
Essays
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
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Everybody who comes here should go read the "Solar Grand Plan" proposal from the January 2008 Scientific American, by Ken Zweibel, James Mason, and Vasilis Fthenakis. And note the attached discussion on the Scientific American website which has been greatly informed by comments from James and Ken at least. Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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Reviews -
Meeting Reviews
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Wednesday, 10 October 2007 |
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I attended a very interesting event in the National Press Club's "First Amendment Lounge" this morning in Washington DC. It was mainly an announcement and discussion of a new report on space solar power (or "Space-Based Solar Power" - SBSP - as the report styles it), published by the US Department of Defense National Security Space Office. The morning also included the announcement of a new Space Solar Alliance for Future Energy consisting of a number of prominent space organizations that have committed to ensuring the implementation of the recommendations of the report.
Being at the National Press Club, there were a number of real reporters there - we'll see what actual coverage this gets, but I think it could be the start of something very important - or at least very interesting. A full review below. Write Comment (3 Comments) |
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News and Essays -
Essays
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Thursday, 02 August 2007 |
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I'm here at the YearlyKos convention in Chicago the next few days, hearing from various "progressive" folks on all sorts of issues - energy included. One of the questions that came up was which of the major Democratic party candidates had the best energy platform, so I thought I'd do a comparison based on what I could find on their websites and elsewhere. The good news is that all four of Edwards, Obama, Richardson, and Clinton have either "Energy" or "Energy and Environment" as one of the top-level platform issues on their sites. The not-so-good news is the content of those platform proposals. Details below! Write Comment (2 Comments) |
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Energy Data -
Energy Resources
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Friday, 20 July 2007 |
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This sixth in our series on the physical limits to energy resources on Earth covers the remaining potential major sources that we know about: tides and geothermal energy. Previous articles covered chemical (including bio-), nuclear fission, fusion, solar, and wind, water, and wave energy. Energy from Earth's internal heat and from Earth's graviational interaction with the Sun and Moon are the only remaining energy flows large enough to induce noticeable effects on the planet, and potentially large enough to supply human needs. Let's look at the numbers in more detail. Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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Energy Data -
Energy Resources
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Thursday, 19 July 2007 |
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This is the fifth in our series on the physical limits of Earth's energy resources - previous entries covered chemical, fission , fusion and solar resources. Driven by the enormous solar input to the planet are a number of physical processes that channel and dissipate that incoming flow. Primary among these is evaporation of water in Earth's hydrologic cycle, and related processes result in Earth's weather patterns and the creation of winds and waves. Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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Energy Data -
Energy Resources
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Wednesday, 18 July 2007 |
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This is the fourth in a series on energy resources available to us here on Earth; preceding entries discussed total fossil, fission and fusion resources. Solar energy comes, of course, from fusion reactions in the Sun and so is itself a form of fusion energy. The Sun's steady output allows us to classify all the derived resources (direct solar, wind, hydro, bio-energy) as "renewable", with each having a steady power dissipation rate that represents the upper bound on what we can tap into. Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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Reviews -
Articles and Reports
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Monday, 16 July 2007 |
In an great overview article today, "Solar Power Wins Enthusiasts but Not Money", Andrew Revkin and Matthew Wald review the sorry state of funding for solar energy research, in contrast with the very wide base of public support. Solar energy was the top choice of Americans for our primary source of electricity in 15 years in a survey conducted by the Nuclear Power Industry! And yet:
Even a quarter century from now, says the Energy Department official in charge of renewable energy, solar power might account for, at best, 2 or 3 percent of the grid electricity in the United States.
[Also posted at DailyKos] Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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Energy Data -
Energy Resources
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Sunday, 15 July 2007 |
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This is the third in our series on the physical limits to energy resources available on Earth. The previous two entries covered chemical energy including fossil fuels, and nuclear fission. This time we'll review the vast potential for fusion energy, if humans can ever master the technology. Write Comment (0 Comments) |
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