БЛОГ

Archive for the ‘sustainability’ category: Page 560

Jul 31, 2017

How to pull water out of thin air, even in the driest parts of the globe

Posted by in category: sustainability

A new device that’s powered by sunlight could help solve water scarcity problems.

Read more

Jul 31, 2017

This Paint Allows Walls to Convert Heat into Electricity

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability, transportation

Paint these days is becoming much more than it used to be. Already researchers have developed photovoltaic paint, which can be used to make “paint-on solar cells” that capture the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity. Now in a new study, researchers have created thermoelectric paint, which captures the waste heat from hot painted surfaces and converts it into electrical energy.

“I expect that the thermoelectric painting technique can be applied to recovery from large-scale heat source surfaces, such as buildings, cars, and ship vessels,” Jae Sung Son, a coauthor of the study and researcher at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), told Phys.org.

“For example, the temperature of a building’s roof and walls increases to more than 50 °C in the summer,” he said. “If we apply thermoelectric paint on the walls, we can convert huge amounts of waste heat into electrical energy.”

Continue reading “This Paint Allows Walls to Convert Heat into Electricity” »

Jul 31, 2017

Tesla’s Model 3 Arrives With a Surprise 310-Mile Range

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Elon Musk finally unveils the long-awaited electric car for the masses.

Read more

Jul 31, 2017

Alphabet’s ‘moonshot’ lab has a new project to store renewable energy

Posted by in categories: drones, internet, robotics/AI, solar power, sustainability

(A rendering of what X’s renewable energy storage plant would look like. X) X, the “moonshot” division of Google’s parent company Alphabet that has worked on everything from self-driving cars and delivery drones, has a new public project: storing renewable energy so it doesn’t go to waste.

The team working on the project is codenamed “Malta,” and it aims to efficiently store energy from solar and wind using salts. That way, renewable energy can still be used even if solar panels or wind turbines can’t collect energy.

Malta is part of X’s Foundry, which explores early-stage projects. It’s not an “official” project like Project Wing (drone delivery) or Project Loon (high-altitude balloons that beam the internet to the surface). X is announcing Malta now because it wants to build a prototype plant for testing how storing renewable energy can feed a power grid. It’s accepting applications for potential partners on its website.

Continue reading “Alphabet’s ‘moonshot’ lab has a new project to store renewable energy” »

Jul 31, 2017

Tesla Model 3 Test Drive: Car Has Bite and Simple Interior

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

FREMONT, Calif.—A first peek inside Tesla Inc.’s new Model 3 compact car revealed a starker, cozier interior than the more spacious and luxurious Model S. But as the sedan sped off, the experience felt similar.

On Friday, the Silicon Valley auto maker showed off details of the all-electric sedan’s interior for the first time, allowing a roughly 10-minute test ride around the factory.

The Model 3 represents a milestone for…

Continue reading “Tesla Model 3 Test Drive: Car Has Bite and Simple Interior” »

Jul 31, 2017

Libra — A movie on space libertarianism from 1978

Posted by in categories: government, solar power, space, sustainability

“The year is 2003, and space colony Libra’s development of solar power could solve an acute, worldwide energy crisis. Government opposition to the Libran energy plan sparks a debate about free enterprise and government control.” (IMDb)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfY4djdAW_s

Read more

Jul 28, 2017

Scientists Just Made Food From Electricity

Posted by in categories: food, solar power, sustainability

A batch of single-cell protein has been produced by using electricity and carbon dioxide in a joint study by the Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Protein produced in this way can be further developed for use as food and animal feed. The method releases food production from restrictions related to the environment. The protein can be produced anywhere renewable energy, such as solar energy, is available.” In practice, all the raw materials are available from the air. In the future, the technology can be transported to, for instance, deserts and other areas facing famine.

Read more

Jul 28, 2017

One of the world’s longest electric car highways will be built in Australia

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Range anxiety be gone.

Read more

Jul 28, 2017

Tonight Elon Musk delivers 30 Model 3 Teslas and things may never be the same

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

30 lucky customers will get their hands on the first Tesla Model 3 electric cars to roll off the production line. Here’s why it matters.

Read more

Jul 27, 2017

Floating City Project Wants To Make An ‘Unregulated’ Hub Of Scientific Research

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics, engineering, food, governance, law, nanotechnology, robotics/AI, sustainability

In the hopes of rising above the laws and regulations of terrestrial nations, a group of Silicon Valley millionaires has bold plans to build a floating city in Tahiti, French Polynesia. It sounds like the start of a sci-fi dystopia (in fact, this is the basic premise behind the video game Bioshock), but the brains behind the project say their techno-libertarian community could become a paradise for technological entrepreneurship and scientific innovation.

The Seasteading Institute was set up in 2008 by billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel and software engineer, poker player, and political economic theorist Patri Friedman. Both ardent libertarians, their wide-eyed mission is to “establish permanent, autonomous ocean communities to enable experimentation and innovation with diverse social, political, and legal systems.”

“Seasteading will create unique opportunities for aquaculture, vertical farming, and scientific and engineering research into ecology, wave energy, medicine, nanotechnology, computer science, marine structures, biofuels, etc,” their website reads.

Continue reading “Floating City Project Wants To Make An ‘Unregulated’ Hub Of Scientific Research” »