Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
A technical report from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which does a good job in pointing out the problems that need to be overcome if we plan to use alternative fuels to replace declining production.
Should Google go nuclear? (new fusion tech, and Robert Hirsch’s nuclear past)
Geoengineering: new talk of manipulating Earth’s climate (updated)
She harnesses viruses to make things (bio-nanotech)
Waste management: One man’s trash… (plasma tech)
Breaking the H2 marriage (new catalyst)
High oil prices clip travellers’ wings
Military wants a fuel-efficient Humvee
Behold, the bus of the future
Assessing GM’s fuel cell strategy
Yachts are getting bigger
Forest roads crumble
Iceland plans to be the first country to implement a hydrogen economy, taking advantage of its vast electric resources. However, sustainability is still wanting in this tiny, isolated island nation, despite its massive advantages over most countries. It cannot, at this time, free itself from the world oil economy.
At last weekend’s Lucerne Fuel Cell Conference, Ulf Bossel, the organizer, made a pretty signinficant announcement
Leaders from government, business and the media from throughout the nation participated in the National Energy Symposium June 15 at the University of Southern California. Faculty and panels included some of the nation’s leading experts, who discussed America’s and California’s energy future. (Many resources are available online.)
Energy in the form of hydrogen, as well as biofuels, is one of the few mainstays of hope for clinging to global economic growth. What of lifestyle change and truly sustainable, local economics? That’s not what’s being planned for you.
MIT: Hydrogen reality check /
Africa to benefit as world shifts to biofuels / CBS: the ethanol solution / East Europe tackles energy waste / Americans head out beyond the exurbs / Report: 98% of U.S. commuters favor public transportation for others
Gas prices are on the rise again and news analysts are kicking it around, wondering who is being ripped off this time. But …unlike other gas shortages, this one is the real thing, or at least the beginning of the real thing: production has peaked and the era of cheap oil is about to end. [Analysis of political responses to rising gas prices.]
Unfortunately for the authors of “Potential Environmental Impact of a Hydrogen Economy on the Stratosphere,” their research, while bold and innovative, didn’t exactly mesh with the hype about hydrogen. [The resulting government action] left some scientists feeling that they’d better stay away from “political” subjects if they want government grants.
White House: the advanced energy initiative /
In call for less foreign oil, Bush sounds familiar note /
The state of energy: hooked on petroleum /
Numbers and the State of the Union Energy segment /
Layoffs in store at National Renewable Energy Laboratory
There is a lot of talk about the hydrogen economy. It is at best naïve, and at worst it is dishonest. A hydrogen economy would be a pitiful, impoverished thing indeed.
