Micro hydro turbine producer PowerSpout has streamlined their product lines, and we’re keeping an eye on them to see if there’s something new on the horizon. PowerSpout produces rugged micro hydro turbines that can run on small streams and work in arrays of up to 10 units – no dam required. Even a small stream can generate consistent, clean, dam free, renewable electricity … [Read more...]
Huge new stock available to overfish and deplete
I'm fascinated and confused by this new study reported on phys.org about mesopelagic fish (the mesopelagic zone is the area 200-1000 m/650-3300 ft below the surface of the ocean). These are the fascinating bits: The mesopelagic fish biomass is at least 10 times greater than previously thought. 95% of world's fish live in mesopelagic zone. The mesopelagic fish genus … [Read more...]
The millions of birds that block out the sun
I have a list of things I would like to see before I exit this world. It's a small list, and in no particular order. The first item is Redwood forest, because redwoods look amazing. The second is A murmuration of starlings. What's a murmuration? Read on: When starlings flock together, wheeling and darting through the sky in tight, fluid formations, we call it a murmuration. … [Read more...]
A plug-in Rolls-Royce green limousine
Rolls-Royce looks ready to adopt plug-in hybrid technology within the next three years. A hybrid limousine – surprised? Torsten Müller-Otvos, CEO of Rolls-Royce explained: “It will be essential in two years, maybe not from customer demand but through legal regulation on emissions.” (Emphasis mine – here’s to legal regulation.) Roll-Royce previously produced an … [Read more...]
Shipping container student housing at Mill Junction
This is undoubtedly the biggest shipping container housing structure yet – 63 shipping containers stacked on top of several grain silos: There is reuse, and then there is reuse. The Mill Junction student dormitories in Johannesburg, South Africa, are taking the reclamation of shipping containers to places straight out of a science-fiction movie. The 11-story grain silos and 63 … [Read more...]
10 volcanos from the Ring of Fire
After I wrote about the eruption of Mount Sinabung, I wondered: how many volcanos exist in that region? You might already know the answer: a lot. In Indonesia alone, there at least 150 volcanos. These include Lake Toba, whose massive eruption 75,000 years ago led to 6 six years of volcanic winter, and Krakatoa, whose explosion is considered the loudest sound in modern … [Read more...]
Sinabung before and after
On August 29, 2010, after four centuries of inactivity, Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra, Indonesia erupted in what is called a minor eruption – ash spewed 1.5 km (nearly a mile) high into the atmosphere, and lava overflowed its crater. Since then, the volcano has erupted over 200 times and displaced thousands of people. On February 2, 2014 the volcano erupted again: The … [Read more...]
Eigg Island: green inspiration
The isle of Eigg is located off the northwest coast of Scotland in the Hebrides archipelago. Eigg is not tied to the national grid, and for many years, diesel generators supplied the few hours of electricity available to residents each day. In February 2008, the community switched on a local, renewable-powered electricity grid, and today solar panels, wind turbines, and hydro … [Read more...]
Controversial Ivanpah Solar switches on
Big solar comes ever closer. A few months after we learned about India's plans to install 10 GW of solar by 2017, the world's largest CSP (concentrating solar power) plant is officially operating. Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a massive solar farm located in the Californian Mojave desert close to Las Vegas, Nevada. Instead of using photovoltaic energy, Ivanpah … [Read more...]
The Ivanpah Solar project in pictures
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is a solar thermal power plant located close to Las Vegas in the California Mojave Desert. 173,500 heliostats reflect the sun's rays at three solar power towers. Each tower features a water-filled receiver that generates high temperature steam when heated by the reflected energy. The farm has a planned capacity of 392 megawatts … [Read more...]