Technology
Untapped hydroelectric power
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/EW-06-05-14-Untapped-Hydroelectric-Power.mp3|titles=EW 06-05-14 Untapped Hydroelectric Power]
Hydroelectric power is still the largest renewable energy source in the US, providing about 7% of our electricity generation. In New York, where Niagara Falls has been providing power for over a century, hydropower provides 17% of the state’s electricity. [Read more…] about Untapped hydroelectric power
Chemical plants and schools
Just over a year ago, the town of West, Texas drew national attention when a fertilizer facility exploded, killing 15 people and injuring more than 300. The blast destroyed whole neighborhoods, apartment complexes, and schools. And unfortunately, it’s far from the only destructive incident that’s occurred recently as a result of hazardous chemicals. [Read more…] about Chemical plants and schools
No-till farming
Overall, the loss of grassland in favor of farmland throughout the Midwest has resulted in a loss of wildlife diversity. But recent research from the University of Illinois has shown that the soybean fields that abound throughout the region actually attract nesting birds. [Read more…] about No-till farming
Storing energy with liquid air
A growing percentage of our electricity comes from solar and wind power. Both of these sources are plentiful, but both sunshine and wind come and go. To really depend on these energy sources, we need to be able store the energy they generate when they are most productive so we can use it at other times. [Read more…] about Storing energy with liquid air
Tidal barrages
There are two basic ways that ocean tides are used to generate electricity: tidal streams and tidal barrages. There has been a great deal of recent interest in tidal stream power, which works like wind power driven by underwater tidal currents. But tidal barrages or barriers are an older technology that is the basis of the largest tidal power installations in the world. [Read more…] about Tidal barrages
Sterilizing salmon
Farm-raised or wild-caught? That’s a question many people have asked themselves when it comes to buying salmon for dinner. Experts are now concerned about wild and farm-raised salmon associating with one another. [Read more…] about Sterilizing salmon
A low power future
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/EW-05-19-14-Low-Power-Future.mp3|titles=EW 05-19-14 Low Power Future]
There is a booming business in energy efficiency, including the design and adoption of energy efficient light bulbs, high mileage vehicles, and more effective insulation. [Read more…] about A low power future
Paintings and pollution
It’s not often scientists make oil paintings a subject of their inquiry, but that is what researchers from Greece and Germany have done in an attempt to understand air pollution through the ages. [Read more…] about Paintings and pollution
Progress on offshore wind
After more than a decade of debates and delays, offshore wind in the United States is on the move. The controversial Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound and the Deepwater ONE farm, off the coast of Rhode Island, are both moving closer to fruition. [Read more…] about Progress on offshore wind
Starbucks cups
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/EW-05-12-14-Starbucks-Cups.mp3|titles=EW 05-12-14 Starbucks Cups]
It seems impossible to walk a city block without encountering a Starbucks. Just as ubiquitous as Starbucks are its disposable coffee cups, billions of which are thrown away every year. Starbucks recently announced it will not meet the recycling goals it set for itself in 2008 – not now, and possibly not ever. [Read more…] about Starbucks cups
Myopia
Worldwide, more and more people are suffering from myopia – or near-sightedness – and a lack of outdoor time may be to blame. [Read more…] about Myopia
A biomass fuel cell
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/EW-05-05-14-Biomass-Fuel-Cell-.mp3|titles=EW 05-05-14 Biomass Fuel Cell]
Fuel cells convert chemical energy from fuel into electricity using a chemical reaction with an oxidizing agent. The most common fuel cells run on hydrogen, but hydrocarbons like methanol are also used. Biomass has not been used in fuel cells because, until now, there has been no effective catalyst to break down complex organic materials. [Read more…] about A biomass fuel cell
Stack your solar panels
Solar panel use is growing exponentially, driven in part by the advent of several companies that install panels in private residences and businesses. We are putting solar panels on our cottage in Maine and hope to generate all of our electricity from them. [Read more…] about Stack your solar panels
Greener fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, generates great controversy wherever it is being practiced and is vigorously opposed wherever it isn’t. Nonetheless, it is the basis for a booming industry that is not likely to disappear any time soon. It is encouraging that there are a number of efforts underway to make fracking cleaner, greener, and safer. [Read more…] about Greener fracking
Power from the moon
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/EW-04-29-14-Lunar-Power.mp3|titles=EW 04-29-14 Lunar Power]
Almost all our energy ultimately derives from the Sun. There is of course solar power, but even hydroelectric, wind, and wave power are actually driven by the Sun’s energy. Fossil fuels originate from prehistoric plant matter created by photosynthesis. The only major non-solar sources are nuclear power and geothermal energy, which itself results from nuclear reactions in the Earth’s interior. [Read more…] about Power from the moon
How we fill the breadbasket
Everything we eat can be traced back to the Sun. Sunlight powers plant photosynthesis, which yields the grains that we eat in bread, cereal, and rice. Plants feed the animals that provide us with beef, pork, and poultry. And the fishes of the sea feed on tiny phytoplankton that photosynthesize in the upper layers of the ocean’s waters. [Read more…] about How we fill the breadbasket
Utility-scale solar power
Utility-scale solar power projects now provide nearly 5,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States. Another 27,000 megawatts is under development. This is enough to power more than 5 million homes. [Read more…] about Utility-scale solar power
Volcano power
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/EW-04-21-14-Volcano-Power.mp3|titles=EW 04-21-14 Volcano Power]
For decades, geothermal wells have been used to power turbines to generate electricity. These wells utilize heat from the earth’s core by tapping into underground sources of hot water. Recently, scientists have made progress drilling directly into volcanoes and using molten rock – or magma – as a much more potent energy source. [Read more…] about Volcano power
Progress in ocean energy
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/EW-04-18-14-Progress-in-Ocean-Energy.mp3|titles=EW 04-18-14 Progress in Ocean Energy]