Earth Wise
Organic flow batteries
The rapid expansion of the use of solar and wind power is driving a growing interest in energy storage systems because in order to fully exploit these sources we need to be able to store the energy they produce for use when we need it.
Coral and sunscreen
Summer is in full swing. With temperatures at their peak and beach vacations underway, most of us have probably stocked up on sunscreen. We slather it on children to prevent painful burns and apply it to ourselves to avert skin cancer. But as much as sunscreen protects our skin from harm, it can do just the opposite to coral reefs.
Energy scavenging
In recent years, we have become familiar with the concept of energy vampires: small devices around the house like phone chargers that steadily use up energy a little at a time. We’ve all been encouraged to avoid wasting energy in this way by unplugging these things.
Storing carbon under the sea
There are many strategies at play for reducing the carbon emissions that are driving global climate change. These include reducing energy demand through conservation and efficiency measures and changing over to renewable energy sources. But despite these efforts, the burning of fossil fuels continues to dominate the world’s energy sources because fossil fuels are plentiful and cheaper than the alternatives.
A dangerous world for birds
As wind farms become more and more commonplace, one frequently hears about the dangers that wind turbines pose to birds. Multiple studies have looked at bird mortality due to collisions with these machines.
Cyanobacteria
In early August, nearly half a million people in Toledo, Ohio were told not to use their tap water for drinking, cooking or bathing. The cause was a bloom of algae in Lake Erie, in this case a microbe known as cyanobacteria, which produces a dangerous toxin called microcystin.
Overfishing and coral
Climate change has been blamed for the rapid decrease in coral cover in the Caribbean over the past few decades. But new research suggests that the impacts of pollution and overfishing may have been underrated. This is good news, experts say, because these problems are easier to address and reverse.
Replacing diesel in island countries
The economies, societies and ecosystems of small island countries have been burdened by the need to import fuels throughout the fossil fuel era. Most of these countries generate their electricity using imported diesel fuel, which is extremely expensive, vulnerable to disruption, and environmentally damaging.
Energy from humidity
The majority of methods we use for generating electricity convert mechanical energy into electrical energy in some fashion. We may utilize nuclear power or burning coal or rushing water or wind but we end up spinning a turbine to create electricity. Over time, we have developed numerous ways to initiate the motion in a generator.
Cigarette butts
When we talk about the hazards of cigarettes, we typically focus on health risks – lung cancer, heart disease, or the dangers of secondhand smoke.
Tesla-powered buildings
The symbiosis between solar energy and energy storage technology is driving an emerging market. Analysts predict a multi-billion dollar market will evolve in the US over the next several years, dominated by residential solar systems that use storage to provide power when the sun isn’t shining or during blackouts.
Storing carbon in the soil
The effort to reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere is primarily focused on the sources of carbon, such as emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. This can be called a supply-side approach. However, there is also the important issue of carbon sinks, which are termed demand-side approaches to the problem.
A solar landfill
When landfills have reached their capacity, their contents are capped in order to isolate the wastes and contaminants within. Hazardous waste landfills utilize specialized liners in order to prevent leakage and once they are capped off, they are monitored for decades for any gas or leached materials. Sometimes the sites can be reused for such things as parks or parking lots, but all too often they become no-mans-lands that serve no purpose. [Read more…] about A solar landfill
Galapagos green
The Galapagos Islands are famous for inhabitants like giant tortoises, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. Nearly the entire archipelago is a national park that carefully preserves this unique environment. But the Galapagos is also home to over 30,000 people living on four of the islands and involved in the tourist trade, in farming and fishing, and in local businesses. The human inhabitants need electricity and, like most islanders, have mostly gotten it from diesel generators. [Read more…] about Galapagos green
An ammonia economy
The world’s leading automakers are betting on hydrogen-powered cars as the future of personal transportation. These are electric cars that use fuel cells as the source of electricity instead of batteries. [Read more…] about An ammonia economy
The cost of climate change
The costs of climate change are many – from the destruction of ecosystems and the loss of species to increased risk of famine. The famous Stern Review by the British government in 2006 looked at the effects on the world economy. Eight years later, a recently released report focuses on the financial bottom line in the U.S., providing an assessment of how unmitigated climate change will add up over the remainder of this century. [Read more…] about The cost of climate change
Climate change and human development
There is much public discussion about the role of human activities in the changing climate but one research study looked at a diametrically opposite concept: the role of changing climate in the development of human culture. [Read more…] about Climate change and human development
Molecular solar power
As the use of solar power expands, there is growing attention to the problem of what to do when the sun isn’t shining. The ability to store solar energy when it is available and use it later is the basic solution to the problem. Developing technologies like battery banks and molten salt tanks are currently the major focus. [Read more…] about Molecular solar power
Neonicotinoid pesticides
