2011 was a great year for solar power with an increase of 73.3% in generating power – the fastest growth since reporting began. Germany and Italy led that charge by installing 57.1% of the new power. Worldwide there is now 63.4 gigwatts (GW) of solar power – of which 29.3 GW were brought online in 2011. …
Continue reading “Global solar power surged in 2011 – 73% growth”
The world’s third largest wind farm just started spinning its turbines in Oregon. Covering more than a thousand acres the 338 wind turbines will create 845 megawatts of clean energy. All of that will be sent down to California for 20 years as part of an agreement with Southern California Edison – who is in need …
Continue reading “Massive wind farm comes online in Oregon – 845 megawatts of clean wind energy”
The biggest problem with driving an electric vehicle (EV) is not driving from home to work. It’s the long trips and vacations that scare people – beyond the EV’s range of 75-150 miles per charge. They need a network of charging stations, like gas stations, placed along highway routes for all the popular destinations. And …
Continue reading “Tesla announces network of free charging stations powered by solar energy”
We have an aging fleet of power plants: 51% of all generating capacity is 30+ years old. 73% of all coal plants are 30+ years old 24 out of 25 oldest plants (60+ years) are hydropower Nearly all nuclear plants are 20+ years old Here is a graphic from EIA with more detail. The pie …
Living in California means power plants on the beach. It’s a fact of life driving up and down the coast. When you enter Los Angeles driving north there is a line of smokestacks so dense that some refer to it as “the apocalyptic city of the future.” Then as you enter San Diego driving south …
US media write little about the men who run #China. Here’s a great piece in Foreign Policy on the next cohort. foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/… — Andrew McLaughlin (@McAndrew) August 13, 2012 It is a great piece that shares little known facts about the Rising Tiger, like all the elites dye their hair black (usually with “jet-black …
Continue reading “The 9 members of China’s communist party who rule the country”
From the Fresh Energy blog and a good reminder that most experts have trouble thinking exponentially. WIND In 2000, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its World Energy Outlook, predicting that non-hydro renewable energy would comprise 3 percent of global energy by 2020. That benchmark was reached in 2008. In 2000, IEA projected that there would …
Continue reading “8 clean energy predictions from a decade ago…that were way wrong”
The largest-ever experiment in space has reported the collection of some 18 billion “cosmic ray” events that may help unravel the Universe’s mysteries. Run from a centre at Cern, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) aims to spot dark matter and exotic antimatter. At the heart of the seven-tonne, $2bn machine is a giant, specially designed …
What kind of armor will Tony Stark wear in Iron Man 3? That question has been answered at Comic-Con International, where the new costume is on display at the Marvel booth. Here’s Wired senior editor Peter Rubin with an exclusive look at the new armor, as well as a chronological spin through the various power …
Continue reading “The new Mark VIII armor for Iron Man 3 is revealed”
This summer may be just a test run for operating Southern California’s electrical grid without a nuclear plant. The latest report on the outage at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station shows the replacement of four massive steam generators was accompanied by serious design flaws, with no clear solution in sight. Both stakeholders in San …