Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Production from “enhanced oil recovery” peaked at about 750,000 barrels a day in the early 1990s, and has fallen back slightly, with gas “flooding” now viewed as more economical than thermal methods, while chemical treatments have proved to be too expensive.
Converting every vehicle in the United States to hydrogen power would demand so much electricity that the country would need enough wind turbines to cover half of California or 1,000 extra nuclear power stations.
Earth’s microbial lungs may be encouraged to take deeper breaths to rid the atmosphere of pollution.
Fairbanks, Alaska — The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Fuel Cell Technologies of Kingston, Ontario, have announced that the five-kilowatt solid oxide fuel cell installed in Fairbanks has successfully passed the one-year field operational mark.
Hydrogen isn’t an energy source – it’s an energy carrier, like a battery. You have to make it and put energy into it, both of which take energy.
Flexible, cheap and easy on the environment, mini-hydropower generators are creating a buzz. You don’t have to change the course of rivers and move mountains to generate electricity.
Raphaël Valyi, a student at the french engineering school Ecole Centrale Lyon has just released new open-source software for modeling eMergy flows called Emergy Simulator.
A British company claims to have found the “holy grail” of the nuclear energy industry – a solution to the problem of radioactive waste disposal.
A rising chorus of experts … offer[s] a dramatic solution for America’s energy woes. By boosting the efficiency of cars, homes, and offices, the United States could dramatically cut its reliance on foreign oil and forgo building many new power plants. The solution would not only be easier than drilling for more energy, it would be cheaper, these experts say.
With oil prices hitting new highs, proponents of so-called “peak oil” argue that the world may be approaching the point where production can’t keep up with demand. And innovations, like 3D, are at the center of a debate over whether technology can help replace the world’s known oil supplies before they are depleted.
Labratory experiments reveal the possibility that large amounts of methane may be generated in the Earth’s mantle. Unfortunately the reaction is likely to occur at a depth of 100-200km.
A Nobel Prize-winning chemist says the impending world energy shortage requires several miracles of science that nanotechnology can help to deliver.
